b 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 

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AND      NEW      EDITIONS, 
BY  THE 

AUTHOR    OF    "RTJTLEDGE.' 

1.— EUTLEDGE. 

2.— THE  SUTHEELANDS. 

3.— LOUIE'S  LAST  TERM. 

4.— FRANK  WAEEINGTON. 

5.— ST.  PHILIPS. 

6.— EOUNDHEAETS. 

7.— BICHAED  VANDEEMAKCK. 

8.— A  PEEPECT  ADONIS.— (Just  Ready.) 


"The  Stories  by  the  author  of  'Eutledge'  are  told  with 
real  dramatic  power,  and  a  genuine  dramatic 
pathos,  which  combine  to  make  them 
universally  read  with  thorough 
satisfaction    and    plea 
sure." 


All  Issued  uniform  with  this  volume.    Price  §1.50  each, 
and  sent  free  by  mail,  on  receptof  price, 

BT 

G.  W.  CARLETON  &  CO.,  Publishers. 
New  York. 


A   STORY  -FOH   GIRLS 


WITH  AN  EDITORIAL  INTRODUCTION 

BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF 
"  Rutledge?  "  Louie! s  Last  Term  at  St 


NEW    YORK: 

Carleton    &    Co.,    Publishers, 


LONDON:     LOW    &  CO. 
MDCCCLXXV. 


COPYRIGHT,  1875,  BY 
G.    W.    CARLETON    &    CO. 


JOHN  F.  TROW  &  SON, 

STEREOTYPERS  AND  PRINTERS, 

205-213  Knst  i2t/i  Street, 
NEW    YORK. 


fS 


CONTENTS 


I.  MARGUERITE  IN  FRANCE 11 

II.  MARGUERITE  AT  SEA 139 

III.  MARGUERITE  AT  BOURBON..  213 


tf 


INTRODUCTION. 


the  many  reasons  which,  have  influenced 
those  who  have  been  interested  in  the  repro 
duction  of  this  little  book,  may  be  mentioned  the 
following : 

First,  the  story  has  seemed  a  singularly  fine  illustration 
of  development  of  character.  But  too  often  in  books,  char 
acters  stand  still.  We  have  them  in  this  stage  of  develop 
ment,  or  in  that ;  good  photographs.  But  here,  little 
Marguerite  grows  before  our  eyes  from  a  passionate, 
every-day  child  to  a  thoughtful,  self-controlled,  devout 
young  soul,  whom  all  might  emulate. 

Secondly,  it  contains  so  easy  and  unintentional  a  picture 
of  French  life  and  customs.  It  is  so  pleasant  a  way  of 
teaching  a  child,  how  French  children  live,  and  in  how 
small  a  part  of  the  world  his  or  her  nursery  rules  prevail. 
The  sea  voyage  and  the  life  in  the  tropics,  without  appar 
ent  effort  at  instruction,  give  so  much  and  such  excellent 
instruction. 

And  thirdly,  there  is  a  tone  of  high  breeding  and  refine 
ment  in  the  story,  that  is  perhaps  the  least  easy  of  all 


b  INTRODUCTION. 

things  to  define,  and  yet  which  is  something  we  could  wish 
more  often  graced  the  books  we  put  before  our  children. 
It  is  not  enough  that  a  book  has  no  coarseness  of  senti 
ment  ;  it  should  have  a  flavor  of  good  breeding,  an  aroma 
of  culture,  if  we  wish  it  to  help  our  children  to  good 
manners  and  the  graces  of  life. 

.One  pauses  with  a  little  awe  before  putting  a  book  into 
the  eager  young  hands  stretched  out  for  it.  How  great  its 
influence  may  be.  Before  you  have  well  thought  it  over, 
it  may  be  assimilated  and  a  part  of  your  child's  very  being. 
It  was  with  a  thought  of  those  "  who  watch  as  they  that 
must  give  account,"  that  this  has  been  prepared.  And 
it  is  offered  in  the  strong  hope  that  it  may  do  a  beneficent 
office  to  some  mother's  heart.  Some  one,  perhaps,  reading 
it  with  watchful  eyes,  lest  a  poisonous  flower  should 
reach  her  child's  hands  unawaresj  may  find  in  its  deep 
teaching  renewed  assurance  of  an  already  precious  faith, 
or  a  development  of  principles,  which,  if  unfamiliar,  may 
be  to  her  as  a  gate  of  hope. 

What  a  watch  it  is,  from  the  day  in  which  the  mother 
first  lifts  her  heart  towards  God  and  implores  that  He 
"  bless  this  child  also,"  unto  the  day  when  the  babe,  grown 
into  full  womanhood,  goes  forth  from  her  fathers  home, 

to  become  in  her  turn  a  watcher  also !     What  discourao-e- 

o 

ment  comes  over  her  as,  one  by  one,  the  dreary  number  of 
the  Deadly  Seven  is  told  before  her  eyes,  and  she  sees  that 
not  one  root  is  wanting  from,  which  to  look  for  the  sad 
fruit.  How  hotly  anger  kindles  in  the  baby  eyes,  how 
fiercely  are  the  soft  fingers  clenched,  how  madly  is  the  toy 
dashed  to  the  ground,  before  one  articulate  word  can  give 
utterance  to  the  passion.  How  soon  does  the  little  brow 
cloud  with  envy,  if  it  be  but  of  a  mother's  svnile  or  a 
father's  caress.  How  incessantly  the  coveted  possession 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

of  brother  or  sister  causes  heart-burnings  and  strife ;  in 
how  many  nurseries  is  the  constant  desire  for  what  has 
been  seen  elsewhere  a  weariness  and  pain.  How  early 
does  the  dainty  promised  mouthful  become  a  source  of 
influence.  AVith  what  marvellous  celerity  do  pride  of 
birth  and  station,  and  vanity,  growing  with  the  food  of 
fine  clothes  and  pretty  looks,  show  their  power.  How 
soon,  when  industry  is  matter  of  obedience,  and  for  a  dis 
tasteful  object,  does  sloth  appear.  And  with  the  inevi 
table  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  how  soon  is  the  list 
completed!  Here  stands  the  "old  Adam"  perfected. 
With  what  a  cry,  day  and  night,  do  faithful  mothers 
entreat  the  mercy  of  God  for  their  little  ones ;  how  do 
they  compass  sea  and  land  to  build  about  their  children 
a  defense  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left  against  the 
enemy. 

This  little  story  is  that  of  a  successful  combat.  It  is 
the  story  of  our  dear  Lord's  life  in  the  soul  of  a  child.  It 
would  woo  all  the  grave  sisterhood  of  those  who  walk 
forward,  clasping  little  hands  in  theirs,  to  see  the  ever 
new  miracle  of  the  indwelling  Christ  driving  the  Evil  One 
from  a  human  heart.  We  stand  in  speechless  awe  and 
thankfulness  at  the  manger  of  Bethlehem,  in  vain  striving 
to  realize  the  wonder  of  an  incarnate  God  ;  looking  down 
upon  our  children  we  might  see  an  ever  new  incarnation, 
the  divine  growth  of  the  Lord  JESUS  in  the  heart. 

This  story  shows  the  wonder-working  of  faith  and 
obedience.  It  is  the  demonstration  of  the  Catholic  faith  ; 
not  Eoman  faith — though  happily  we  see  here  that  Rome 
teaches  it  to  her  children — but  the  true  and  only  faith 
taught  by  the  Master  Himself,  the  heritage  of  His  little 
ones. 

It  is  the  setting  forth  of  the  actual  result  of  faithful 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

obedience  and  obedient  faith.  No.  waiting  for  some  pos 
sible  harvest  at  the  end  of  life.  No  doubtful  hope  that 
the  precious  soul  may  one  day  be  accepted  at  the  hands 
of  JESUS.  It  is  the  exhibition,  in  this  child's  life,  of  what 
it  means  to  become — a  real,  yet  unconscious  member  of 
Christ ;  of  what  a  verity  it  is  to  be  born  again  of  water 
and  the  Holy  Ghost;  of  how  the  "old  Adam"  being 
dead  and  buried  under  the  still  depths  of  the  holy  water, 
the  new  man  grows  apace  in  the  heart  of  the  child  in 
corporated  into  Him.  How,  lead  and  taught  by  believing, 
humble  guidance,  it  begins  early  to  tread  down  Satan 
under  foot,  and  breathe  forth  in  every  act  the  Spirit  of 
Holy  Peace,  showing  the  cross-mark  in  every  thought, 
"  as  wine  tastes  of  its  own  grapes,"  through  unity  of  sub 
stance. 

The  act  being  of  faith,  and  the  life  being  of  faith,  it  is 
the  manifestation,  according  to  Him  who  cannot  err,  and 
according  to  that  witness  who  is  "  the  pillar  and  ground 
of  the  truth,"  of  what  must  be  the  result:  "  that  which  is 
born  of  the  Spirit,  is  spirit." 

Under  the  influence  of  the . "  Sacrament  of  Promise," 
as  it  has  been  called — the  white  dove  of  the  regenerating 
Spirit,  hovering  and  brooding  over  the  young  heart — it  ex 
pands  into  readiness  for  the  "  Sacrament  of  Realization," 
and  the  child  we  have  learned  to  love  is  left  at  the  opening 
of  her  woman's  life  armed  indeed,  for  hers  is  the  armor 
of  the  Holy  Grhost,  and  fearless  for  her  journey,  since  the 
"  new  wine  and  the  corn  "  are  her  food  ;  and  she  may  speak 
to  Him  whose  insignia  she  has  worn  from  her  birth,  for  she 
bears  Him  in  her  heart. 

If  one  who  has  thought  differently,  or  not  at  all,  on  this 
subject  should  be  moved  by  this  little  book  to  look  upon 
the  sacramental  life  in  her  child's  soul  as  more  real  that! 


•INTRODUCTION.  9 

the  perishing  life  of  its  body ;  if  one  mother  should 
through  it  be  constrained  to  declare  to  her  little  one  its 
inheritance,  and  to  accept  our  Lord's  own  words  as  He 
spake  them,  casting  aside  the  torturing  interpretation  of 
man,  the  humble  little  messenger  will  be  blessed  indeed. 

•      M.  C.  H. 

NEW  YORK.  October  11,  1875. 


MARGUERITE    IN   FRANCE. 


MARGUERITE'S  JOURNAL. 


PARIS,  October  7th,  18 — .  Tuesday. 
AM  ten  years  old  to-day !  Mamma  has  kissed  me 
more  affectionately  than  usual.  Papa  gave  me  a 
beautiful  five-franc  piece — quite  new — and  he 
too  kissed  me  kindly.  I  am  so  happy !  My  little  sisters, 
and  Gustave  also,  came  to  offer  me  kisses,  while,  laughing 
and  bowing,  they  saluted  me  as  a  great  personage,  who 
would  certainly  not  tease  them  any  more.  However,  it  is 
they  who  usually  tease  me,  at  least  Gustave.  But  I  did 
not  want  to  get  angry  so  soon  after  papa  and  mamma 
had  embraced  me,  so  I  laughed  too,  and  told  them  that  I 
really  felt  I  was  getting  very  large,  and  I  hoped  the 
little  ones  would  respect  me,  and  Gustave  too.  It  is  true 
that  I  do  feel  larger  to-day,  and  that  seems  so  funny  to 
me,  for  the  feeling  came  quite  suddenly  after  I  had  been 
talking  to  Mademoiselle.  Her  manner  was  so  grave,  and 
she  was  so  good  in  trying  to  make  me  understand  things. 
I  am  going  to  write  down  our  conversation,  for  she  advised 
me  to  trv  and  remember  alwavs  what  she  said.  She  still 

»/  •  i/ 

held  me  in  her  arms  to-day,  after  I  had  given  her  my 
"  Good-morning  "  kiss,  and  said  to  me  : 

"  Well,  Marguerite,  and  now  you  are  ten  years  old !  You 
have  long  wished  for  this  day  to  come.    What  impression 
does  it  make  upon  you  ? " 
'    I  .replied  at  once,  for  I  always  tell  her  just  what  I  think : 


14  MAEGUERITE   IN   FKANCE. 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  happy,  for  I  shall  have  a  holiday !  Mamma, 
and  you  have  promised  it  to  me,  and  I  shall  enjoy  it  so 
much !  Then  I  shall  have  a  present,  everybody  will  pet 
me,  and  that  is  very  pleasant ! "  "  That  is  all  true,  my 
child,"  replied  Mademoiselle.  "  But  have  you  no  other 
thoughts?  You  are  ten  years  old  now,  Marguerite.  I 
think  now  you  can  understand  me  if  I  speak  more  seri 
ously  to  you  than  I  have  done  as  yet."  "  Yes,  indeed, 
Mademoiselle ! "  I  cried.  "  Listen  to  me,  then,  attentively. 

/  /  */ 

Ten  years  have  passed,  my  dear  child,  during  which  God 
has  given  you  life,  and  to-day  He  begins  for  you  a  new 
year.  You  have  been  overwhelmed  by  His  benefits  ever 
since  you  were  born.  He  has  protected  you  unceasingly, 
and  has  preserved  your  dear  parents,  your  brothers  and 
sisters.  He  has  surrounded  you  with  kind  and  tender 
friends."  "  Ah,  yes !  "  I  cried,  "  JTe  has  given  me  you." 
Mademoiselle  kissed  me  while  she  continued  :  "  Yes,  my 
child,  He  has  given  me  to  you,  and  you  know  how  much  I 
love  you.  Well,  then,  for  all  these  gifts  which  He  has  made 
you,  for  the  tenderness  with  which  He  has  watched  over 
you,  what  return  have  you  made  ?  Tell  me,  Marguerite, 
h,ave  you  done  anything  for  Him  ?  "  I  dropped  my  head 
and  I  think  I  grew  very  red,  but  I  said  softly,  "  I  was  too 
little."  "How,  then,"  said  Mademoiselle,  "  have  you  found 
means,  little  as  you  are,  of  offending  God  seriously  ? "  She 
waited  for  an  answer,  but  as  I  said  nothing  she  continued : 
.. "  You  know  it,  Marguerite  ;  your  conscience  tells  you  of  it. 
You  have  already  committed  many  sins.  You  are  too 
quick-tempered  and  are  often  angry.  It  is  true  that  God 
has  given  you  a  good  heart  and  enough  intelligence  to 
understand  the  language  of  reason,  but  too  often  you  fol 
low  only  your  bad  inclinations,  and  you  do  almost  always 
what  is  wrong,  instead  of  what  is  right.  It  is  so  with 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  15 

your  behavior  to  Gustavo,  for  although  you  love  him  dearly, 
you  are  always  quarrelling  with  him,  and  at  such  moments 
you  are  so  violent  that  afterwards  you  are  thoroughly 
ashamed  of  yourself."  "  But,  Mademoiselle,"  I  cried,  "  you 
know  that  it  is  always  he  who  begins."  "  No,  not  always, 
my  child ;  but  admitting  that  he  is  wrong,  is  that  a  reason 
why  you  should  be  so  ?  If  he  offends  God,  do  you  wish  to 
offend  Him  also  ?  Besides,  will  you  tell  me  that  your  sweet 
little  sister  Stephanie  teases  and  troubles  you?  Is  not  she 
always  ready  to  do  whatever  pleases  you  ?  And  yet  do 
you  not  constantly  get  angry  with  her  ?  Is  it  not  the  same 
thing  with  dear  little  Berthe,  who  is  only  four  years  old  ? 
Have  you  not  even  once  or  twice'  stamped  yorfr  feet,  and 
grown  red  with  anger,  because  Baby  cried  when  you  tried 
to  amuse  him?  Were  you  then  more  reasonable  than 
he  ?  "  "  No,  Mademoiselle,"  I  replied,  very  much  ashamed, 
"  but —  ''  "  You  must  see,  Marguerite,"  continued  Mademoi 
selle,  "•  that  I  only  speak  to  you  now  of  your  principal  fault. 
But  I  do  not  wish  to  trouble  you  to-day,  my  child.  I  only 
want  to  remind  you  that  what  you  have  left  undone  before 
now,  you  can  do  in  the  future,  and  that  now  is  the  time 
to  undertake  it.  Your  tenth  birthday  should  make  a  mark 
in  your  life,  and  you  should  try  to  prove  to  God  your 
gratitude  for  His  benefits,  as  well  as  your  repentance  for 
your  faults,  by  resolving  firmly  to  try  and  conquer  your 
self,  and  become  a  better  child.  From  this  moment  set 
yourself  to  the  task.  Pray,  and  God  will  help  you.  Now 
go  and  amuse  yourself.  This  day  is  yours,  although  it  be- 
longs  first  to  God ;  do  not  forget  that.  Remember,  too,  my 
child,  that  this  year  you  take  your  place  in  the  Catechism 
Class,  to  be  prepared  for  your  first  communion.  Oh,  my 
child,  tell  me,  is  not  this  thought  alone  enough  to  make  yoti 
earnestly  desire  to  do  better?"  These  words  troubled  me 


16  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

greatly,  and  I  began  to  cry,  but  still  I  was  happy,  because 
I  had  determined  to  be  good  and  try  to  correct  my  faults. 
The  idea  of  preparing*  for  my  first  communion — it  was 
that  which  made  me  feel  that  I  had  grown  so  much. 

After  embracing  Mademoiselle,  and  making  her  a  thou 
sand  promises,  I  was  running  away,  when  she  said  to  me. 
"Marguerite,  I  have  one  favor  to  ask  of  you,  and  as  this 
day  belongs  to  you,  it  is  for  you  to  grant  what  I  wish.  In 
setting  aside  all  your  other  duties  to-day,  do  not  neglect 
your  journal;  on  the  contrary,  write  it  more  carefully  than 
usual.  You  will  soon  forget  all  I  have  said  to  you,  if  you 
do  not  write  it  down  at  once,  and  it  will  be  well  for  you 
to  remember  it.  Tou  know  how  much  you  gain  by  this 
good  habit  of  relating  faithfully  the  history  of  every  day. 
You  like  to  read  it  over  from  time  to  time,  and  the  more 
serious  thoughts  you  will  find  the  most  interesting.  Do  not 
think  the  time  is  lost  which  is  spent  in  writing  down  what 
concerns  this  day  especially,  and  do  it  conscientiously." 
I  promised,  and  I  think  I  have  succeeded.  Besides,  I  have 
begged  Mademoiselle  to  read  over  my  journal.  It  is 
rather  long,  although  I  have  written  as  quickly  as  possible. 
But  now  I  am  going  to  play.  I  trust  that  with  God's 
help  I  shall  not  get  angry  to-day.  I  hear  Gustave  already, 
wrho  is  calling  me  because  I  do  not  hurry  enough.  I  shall 
take  my  hoop,  which  I  would  not  lend  him  yesterday,  and 
will  let  him  carry  it  for  the  walk.  .  Since  I  am  ten  years 
old  I  must  be  more  amiable.  I  am  sure  that  Mademoiselle 
would  say  so. 

Wednesday,  October ,8th. 

Ah  well !  Jhow  can  I  ever  count  upon  my  good  resolu- 
tious?  I  had  actually  a  quarrel  with  Gustave  yesterday — 
my  teiith  birthday !  To  be  sure  it- was  not  quite  as  bad  a 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  17 

quarrel  as  usual ;  and  then  I  did  not  get  angry  with  Ste 
phanie,  nor  with  Berthe,  although  they  did  play  wrong  in  the 
goose-game.  And  Gustave  did  get  very  angry,  and  made 
them  both  cry ;  but  I  must  not  write  about  it,  for  Made 
moiselle  says  I  am  writing  a  journal  of  only  my  own  ac 
tions.  I  had,  then,  a  quarrel  with  Gustave,  which  was  not 
all  my  own  fault ;  but  I  lost  my  patience  so  much  that  I 
felt  greatly  ashamed  of  myself.  One  thing  that  consoled 
me  a  little  was  that  I  felt  so  sorry  about  it,  and  Mademoi 
selle  said  my  ten  years  served  at  least  to  make  me  under 
stand  how  wrong  I  had  been.  I  asked  pardon  of  God, 
and  I  kissed  Gustave  without  any  ill-temper.  What  a 
pity  that  I  lost  my  temper !  My  day  would  have  been 
otherwise  so  nice.  Mamma  took  us  all  in  a  carriage  for  a 
lovely  drive  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  for  the  weather  was 
soft  and  beautiful.  One  might  almost  have  thought  that 
the  sky  was  smiling  because  it  was  my  birthday.  Then  I 
went  with  my  maid  to  see  Clara,  where  I  had  a  very 
pleasant  visit.  In  the  evening  I  played  with  Gustave  and 
my  little  sisters,  and  it  was  then  that  I  had  this  tiresome 
quarrel.  To-day  I  have  begun  to  work  again,  and  I  mean 
to  be  very  diligent.  I  had  only  eight  faults  in  my 
"  dictee,"  although  it  was  long,  and  I  said  my  verb  well. 
My  exercise  in  grammar  was  only  tolerably  good,  but  I 
knew  my  other  lessons,  because  I  went  over  them  this 
morning  as  soon  as  I  was  dressed. 

Thursday,  October  Qtk. 

I  am  not  quite  dissatisfied  with  my  day  yesterday,  for  I 
committed  no  very  great  faults,  although  there  were 
some  little  ones.  I  began  to  get  angry  with  Stephanie, 
but  when  I  saw  the  tears  in  her  eyes  I  stopped  at  once. 
I  only  made  Berthe  cry  twice,  and  mamma  thinks  I  am 


18  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

more  gentle  with  Baby.  Nurse  even  called  me  to  come 
and  make  him  laugh.  Little  darling,  he  smiles  like  a  lit 
tle  angel !  Gustave  was  at  college  all  day,  as  the  term  has 
begun  ;  that  was  the  reason  we  had  no  quarrels.  In  the 
evening,  he  talked  with  papa  and  mamma  about  his 
studies  and  his  professors,  while  I  sewed  with  Mademoi 
selle  ;  then  I  read  history  with  her  and  mamma.  I  said 
my  prayers  earnestly.  I  learned  in  the  morning  my  first 
lesson  in  the  catechism,  for  in  a  few  days  I  shall  take  my 
seat  in  the  class.  I  have  known  for  some  time  the 
smaller  catechism  and  part  of  the  other ;  but  yet  I  feel 
sure  that  I  shall  be  frightened  when  they  question  me. 


Wednesday,  October  15th. 

Yesterday  was  the  great  day  !  Oh !  how  I  trernbled-l 
Mademoiselle  took  me  to  the  Catechism  Class,  and  mamma 
went  also,  which  made  me  doubly  happy.  My  heart  beat 
so  hard,  and  I  felt  so  shy  when  I  had  to  go  forward  all 
alone  amongst  the  other  little  girls !  I  kept  looking  be 
hind  me  to  see  where  mamma  and  Mademoiselle  were,  so 
that  I  did  not  see  a  priest  who  was  beckoning  to  me  to 
come  forward.  Then  he  was  kind  enough  to  take  my 
hand,  and  lead  me  to  a  seat.  I  found  myself  next  to  two 
little  girls  in  deep  mourning;  it  troubled  me  to  look  at 
them.  The  eldest  was  so  pale,  and  seerfted  very  sad. 
The  second  was  quite  rosy,  and  did  not  seem  to  think  of 
her  mourning  ;  but  then  she  was  very  young.  I  wanted 
to  speak  to  them,  especially  to  the  eldest,  and  to  know 
their  names,  so  I  listened  carefully  to  the  priest  who  was 
arranging  the  children  on  the  benches.  When  he  said 
"  Marie  and  Jeanne  de  Laval"  they  rose  to  go  to  the  seat 
he  pointed  out  to  them,  and  I  resolved  not  to  forget  their 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  19 

names.  I  was  just  feeling  sorry  at  being  separated  from 
them,  when  the  priest  called  out  "  Marguerite  Guy  on." 
I  got  up  quickly,  and  they  placed  me  beside  the  two  little 
girls.  I  looked  at  them  and  they  smiled.  I  think  we  shall 
be  good  friends.  The  priest  did  not  ask  us  any  questions 
to-day,  as  it  took  so  long  to  give  us  our  places.  But  M. 
1'Abbe  Martin,  who  superintended  the  class,  made  us  a 
very  nice  address.  He  said,  I  think,  that  the  class  was 
like  a  vestibule,  which  we  entered  in  order  to  reach  the 
sanctuary — that  is,  the  altar — where  we  were  to  receive  our 
first  communion.  It  was  beautiful,  but  I  cannot  repeat  it 
well.  I  prayed  more  earnestly  to  God  afterwards,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  that  He  would  surely  bless  us  all.  I  joined 
mamma  and  Mademoiselle  in  going  out.  Marie  and 
Jeanne  went  away  with  an  old  gentleman  who  seemed  to 
be  their  grandfather;  his  beard  and  hair  were  quite  white. 
lie  gave  his  arm  to  Marie,  while  Jeanne  followed  them. 
Everybody  looked  at  them.  I  do  not  know  why.  The 
priest  recommended  us  to  love  our  companions  in  the 
class,  which  I  should  not  find  difficult  for  these  little  girls. 
One  thing  annoyed  me  very  much,  and  that  was  that  Gus- 
tave  made  fun  of  me  in  the  evening,  when  I  was  telling 
about  it  all.  He  asked  if  the  grandfather  did  not  look 
like  a  "  mummy."  Mademoiselle  could  not  but  say  that 
it  was  very  wrong  to  speak  so  of  an  old  person,  and  I  told 
Gustave  that  it  was  hardly  worth  while  for  him  to  study 
history  if  it  were  only  to  teach  him  how  to  make  rude 
comparisons.  Certainly  Gustave  is  very  naughty,  but 
Mademoiselle  says  I  ought  not  to  say  so.  She  reproved 
Gustave  for  his  bad  manners,  as  I  thought,  too  gently  ;  but 
what  she  said  checked  him.  I  was  not  able  to  do  a  great 
deal  yesterday,  011  account  of  the  catechism,  and,  besides, 
I  have  been  playing ;  but  to-morrow  I  shall  do  better. 


20  MARGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

Thursday,  October  Wth. 

I  worked  all  day  yesterday  steadily,  for  Mademoiselle 
said  so  herself ;  and  my  dear  mamma  kissed  me  for  it. 
It  is  strange  how  happy  I  am  when  mamma  kisses  me  as  a 
reward.  And  when  papa  looks  at  me  smiling,  and  says, 
"  Thou  art  a  good  girl,"  it  is  just  as  if  he  had  given  me  a 
"  Cross  of  Honor  "  like  his  own.  Yesterday  evening  he 
was  all  dressed  in  full  uniform  as  captain  of  a  vessel,  for 
he  was  going  to  the  King.  I  was  proud  enough  to  look 
at  him  !  I  wonder  if  the  father  of  Marie  and  Jeanne  had 
a  cross  of  honor  too  ?  Clara's  father  has  not  any,  and  I 
said  so  one  day  to  Clara,  when  she  declared  that  her 
mother  was  richer  than  mine.  We  were  very  angry  that 
day,  but  since  then  we  have  made  friends ;  and  I  like 
Clara  very  much.  She  is  very  nice.  Mademoiselle  told  me, 
too,  that  such  disputes  were  very  foolish.  When  papa  had 
gone  I  saw  that  mamma  seemed  very  sad,  but  she  would 
not  tell  me  the  reason ;  and  Mademoiselle  called  me  to 
read  history.  I  am  not  sad  when  I  see  papa  in  uniform. 
Perhaps  mamma  wanted  to  go  to  the  Tuileries  also,  but 
she  has  often  been  there.  I  will  not,  however,  try  to  find 
out  why  mamma  was  different  from  usual  yesterday,  for 
that  would  be  showing  curiosity.  But  I  do  not  like  to  see 
mamma  sad ;  it  troubles  me. 

Friday,  October  Vlth. 

Papa  too  has  seemed  to  be  preoccupied  for  several  days, 
but  we  do  not  any  of  us  understand  it.  Mamma  and 
Mademoiselle  have  constantly  such  long  conversations,  and 
my  lessons  are  interrupted,  which  is  very  strange.  What 
can  be  the  matter  ?  Clara  came  to  see  me  yesterday,  and 
they  let  us  go  out  to  walk  with  her  maid.  We  met  a  poor 
woman  with  three  little  children,  but  unfortunately  I  had 
no  money.  Clara,  who  was  just  going  to  buy  some  cakes 


MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE.  21 

for  us  both,  asked  me  if  it  would  not  be  better  to  give  the 
money  to  the  poor  woman.  I  said, "  Oh  !  much  better,"  and 
I  thought  it  very  good  in  her.  The  little  children  were  so 
happy  that  we  were  quite  delighted.  In  the  evening  at  din 
ner,  when  I  was  telling  this,  my  good  little  Berthe  took  the 
biscuit  from  her  mouth  to  give  to  the  poor  woman,  although 
we  do  not  know  where  she  lives,  and  Stephanie  searched 
for  four  sous,  all  her  fortune,  which  she  gave  to  Mademoi 
selle  for  these  poor  people.  Gustave  made  some  jests 
about  it ;  but  he  is  generous,  too,  for  he  gives  all  he  has, 
and  so  is  often  obliged  to  borrow  from  me,  which  does  not 
please  me  very  much,  as  he  does  not  always  pay  me  back. 

Saturday,  October  18t7i. 

Now  it  is  explained  why  they  have  been  talking  so 
much.  How  surprised  I  was,  for  there  have  never  been 
any  events  in  my  life,  and  this  may  certainly  be  called  an 
event,  and  a  great  one  too.  Papa  is  appointed  Governor 
of  Pondichery,  in  India,  and  as  he  will  have  to  stay  several 
years,  we  are  to  go  with  him.  What  happiness !  I  never 
expected  to  know  India  except  through  my  geography, 
and  it  seems  astonishing  to  me  to  think  that  I  shall  see 
that  country,  that  I  shall  go  myself  to  Asia.  And  then 
Governor,  that  is  a  great  word !  Gustave  declares  that 
over  there  it  is  like  a  king.  It  is  funny  to  find  myself 
suddenly  the  daughter  of  an  almost  king.  Oh  !  I  shall 
ask  many  favors  of  papa,  and  I  do  not  think  he  will  be  very 
severe.  What  will  Clara  think  of  all  this?  But  why  does 
mamma  cry  ?  As  for  me,  I  am  enchanted  !  If  we  were 
obliged  to  see  papa  go  away  without  us,  as  he  has  done  be 
fore,  I  should  cry  too ;  but  since  mamma  will  go  with  him, 
and  take  us  too,  there  is  nothing  but  pleasure.  To  travel  with 
papa  for  perhaps  six  months,  and  at  sea,  too,  when  I  have 


22  MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

always  longed  to  know  something  of  the  sea !  To  see 
other  countries,  new  trees,  new  fruits,  the  Creoles,  and  any 
number  of  negroes-! — I  who  have  never  seen  any  but  the 
little  negro  boy  belonging  to  Madame  Balde  !  I  am  wild 
with  joy,  and  I  do  like  events  so  much.  Gustave  feels  as 
I  do,  and  for  the  time  we  are  good  friends,  and  we  talk  to 
gether  of  all  our  plans.  Mademoiselle  is  grave,  and  yet  a 
voyage  need  not  make  one  grave.  Oh !  if  she  were  not  to 
go  !  And  I  never  thought  to  ask  her !  But  it  is  impossible. 
Could  she  ever  part  from  us,  or  we  from  her  ?  However, 
she  is  not  obliged  to  go,  as  I  am,  who  follow  my  father  and 
mother.  I  must  go  and  ask  her  at  once.  I  have  nothing 
else  to  say  in  my  journal,  as  I  hardly  worked  at  all  yes 
terday.  'The  whole  house  was  turned  upside  down,  and 
mamma  kept  Mademoiselle  with  her  the  greater  part  of 
the  day.  To-day  it  has  been  the  same. 

Sunday,  October  IQth. 

I  cried  a  great  deal  yesterday.  After  closing  my 
journal  I  went  at  once  to  Mademoiselle,  to  ask  her  if  she 
was  to  go  with  us  but  I  was  so  afraid  lest  she  should 
say  "  No,"  that,  after  entering  the  room,  I  stood  quite  still 
for  several  moments  without  speaking — only  looking  at 
her.  Then  I  rushed  away  and  ran  to  mamma,  who  was 
in  her  own  room,  lying  on  the  sofa  with  a  headache,  and 
there  I  had  a  long  talk  with  her.  How  good  mamma 
is  !  She  talked  with  me,  as  she  said  herself,  as  if  I  were 
fifteen  years  old.  I  will  try  to  write  down  all  she  said. 
In  the  first  place  mamma  thought  I  looked  strangely, 
so  she  asked  me  at  once  what  was  the  matter.  Then  1 
began  to  cry,  and  she  drew  me  close  to  her,  saying  that 
I  should  only  make  her  head  ache  worse.  I  tried  to  stop, 
and  whispered  softly  in  her  ear, 


MARGUERITE   EST   FRANCE.  23 

""Will  Mademoiselle  Yalmy  go  with  us?"  Mamma 
smiled,  and  answered  while  she  kissed  me  : 

"  Certainly.     Is  that  the  cause  of  your  great  sorrow  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear  mamma,  for  otherwise  it  was  all  pleasure." 

"  Well,  my  child,"  replied  mamma,  "  you  need  not  be 
uneasy.  You  know  what  I  should  suffer  if  1  had  to  part 
from  Caroline,  whom  I  have  loved  from  childhood.  I  have 
already  told  you  many  times  that  we  were  schoolmates, 
and  always  warm  friends,  although  she  was  younger  than 
myself.  I  was  more  fortunate  than  she  in  the  world,  for 
she  lost  all  her  fortune  after  the  death  of  her  parents, 
and  found  herself  obliged  to  make  use  of  her  education 
in  order  to  support  herself.  She  went  at  first  as  governess 
into  a  family  where  she  was  not  appreciated,  and  where 
she  was  not  allowed  to  guide  the  children  as  she  desired. 
But  soon  afterwards,  when  your  father  was  about  to  start 
again  upon  a  long  voyage,  as  he  perceived  my  sadness  and 
loneliness,  he  yielded  to  my  entreaties,  and  allowed  me 
to  send  for  Caroline,  to  come  to  me  and  be  at  once  my 
companion  and  the  second  mother  of  my  children.  You 
can  remember,  my  little  Marguerite,  how  happy  you  and 
I  have  been  since  that  day.  Caroline  loves  us,  as  we  love 
her,  and  as  no  duty  keeps  her  in  France,  she  will  follow 
us  wherever  we  go.  Notwithstanding  my  earnest  wish  to 
go  with  your  father,  I  do  not  think  you  would  see  me  so 
brave  if  Caroline  were  not  to  accompany  us." 

"Still,  mamma,  you  are  sad.  Why  is  it?  You  see 
now  that  /am  happy,  since  you  have  reassured  me." 

"  You  are  a  child,  Marguerite,  and  cannot  understand 
all  that  disturbs  the  mind  and  heart  of  a  mother  at  the 
prospect  of  such  a  great  change.  However,  my  greatest 
sorrow  you  would  soon  share,  if  you  knew  the  cause  of  it." 

"  Ah !  mamma,  you  frighten  me !     You  seem  so  dis- 


24  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

tressed.  But  you  forget  if  you  say  I  am  only  a  child, 
that  I  am  ten  years  old  !  I  am  ten  years  and  twelve  days 
old  !  "  Mamma  smiled,  but  sadly,  and  replied : 

"  No,  I  do  not  forget  it,  my  darling ;  and  in  order  to 
prove  that  it  is  so,  I  am  going  to  open  my  heart  to  you, 
and  show  you  my  greatest  sorrow.  You  know  that  Gus- 
tave,  if  he  does  not  always  satisfy  us  by  his  behavior, 
makes  us  very  happy  as  far  as  his  studies  are  concerned. 
His  masters  are  delighted  with  his  intelligence  and  studi 
ous  habits.  They  say  Gustave  has  great  promise,  and  we 
rejoice  in  this,  as  he  is  the  eldest,  who  will  some  day  have 
to  protect  you  and  the  little  ones.  "Well,  if  we  interrupt 
his  studies  now,  we  shall  do  him  much  harm,  for  we  do 
not  even  know  if  he  ca,n  resume  them  in  India,  as  the 
Creoles  all  send  their  sons  to  France  to  be  educated." 

"  But,  mamma,  take  a  tutor  for  him  such  as  Cecile's 
brother  has." 

"  Your  father  does  not  wish  it,  and  I  feel  he  is  right, 
for  Gustave  needs  emulation,  and  a  firm  discipline,  which 
I  should  not  be  strong  enough  to  have  properly  en 
forced." 

.  "  Mamma,  mamma,  what  are  you  going  to  say  ? " 
Mamma  took  me  in  her  arms,  and  laying  her  cheek 
against  mine,  said  softly : 

"  It  will  be  necessary  to  leave  him  in  France."  I  gave 
a  cry  as  I  tore  myself  from  mamma's  arms,  so  that  I 
could  look  in  her  face.  She  was  crying.  Then  I  began 
to  cry,  too,  exclaiming  : 

"  No,  Gustave  shall  not  stay.  I  will  not  have  it ; 
mamma,  say  no.  It  is  true  that  he  teases  me,  but  no 
matter.  I  would  rather  have  him  tease  me  always.  Poor 
Gustave  !  to  leave  him  here  all  alone,  where  he  could  not 
see  you,  or  papa,  or  Baby,  whom  he  loves  so  dearly ;  and 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  25 

he  will  not  have  the  pleasant  voyage !     Mamma,  mamma, 
I  beg  you  to  let  him  come  with  us." 

u  Marguerite,  you  distress  me  very,  very  much,"  replied 
mamma ;  "  do  you  not  think  that  I  suffer  even  more  than 
you  ? "  I  ran  to  kiss  her  while  I  tried  to  stop  crying. 
Then  she  said  to  me  : 

"  I  talk  to  you  as  if  you  were  fifteen  years  old,  and 
you  trouble  your  mother  instead  of  consoling  her."  Ah ! 
how  unhappy  I  was  at  being  so  naughty,  and  when  I  loved 
mamma  so  much,  too.  I  felt  angry  with  myself,  and 
said: 

"  Let  me  go  and  bring  Mademoiselle,  my  own  little 
mamma.  She  will  know  how  to  comfort  you."  But 
mamma  took  my  hand  and  held  me  back. 

"  Xo,  my  child,  it  is  you  that  I  want.  When  a  mother 
is  unhappy  about  one  of  her  children,  she  can  only  be 
comforted  by  another  child."  I  was  much  struck  by 
these  words.  Then  in  future  I  shall  always  be  the  one 
co  comfort  rnamma  about  poor  Gustave.  I  turned  to 
mamma,  but  she  was  so  pale,  and  looked  at  me  with  such 
a  sad  face,  that  I  did  not  know  what  to  do,  I  felt  so  un 
happy  ;  but  I  climbed  upon  the  sofa  beside  her,  and 
kissing  her  over  and  over  again,  I  said : 

"  But  think,  dear  little  mamma :  you  have  still  other 
children.  You  have  me,  then  Stephanie  and  Berthe,  and, 
last  of  all,  Baby;  and  you  leave  only  one  behind.  We 
will  all  take  such  good  care  of  you  :  at  least  Baby  cannot 
'just  yet,  but  he  will  by  and  by." 

"  Ah,  my  child,"  exclaimed  mamma,  "  you  do  not 
know  what  fears  I  have  for  all  of  you.  The  long  voyage, 
that  terrible  climate — God  help  me  ! "  She  stopped  as  if 
she  were  praying.  I  longed  to  go  and  call  Mademoiselle, 
but  I  said : 
2 


25  MAKGUEKITE  IN   FRANCE. 

"  Oh,  mamma.  I  am  sure  we  shall  do  very  well.  See 
how  strong  I  have  grown  this  year.  I  love  the  heat,  and 
Baby  does  too ;  for  you  know  how  he  laughs  whenever 
he  sees  the  sun.  As  for  Stephanie  and  Berthe,  they  are 
never  sick.  It  is  only  about  Gustave  that  we  need 
be  troubled ;  and  he  will  write  to  us.  Yes,  I  did  not 
think  of  that :  and  how  happy  you  will  be  to  get  his 
letters." 

"  Yes,  my  darling ;  but  we  shall  not  see  him — and  if  he 
were  to  be  ill." 

"  But,  mamma,  will  not  God  be  with  Gustave,  as  well  as 
with  us  ?  Mademoiselle  always  tells  me  that  He  is  Father 
to  all  of  us.  You  would  not  be  troubled  to  leave  Gustave 
with  papa,  and.  yet  papa  cannot  prevent  Gustave  from 
being  ill,  and  God  can.  We  will  pray  to  Him  so  ear 
nestly.  Listen,  good  little  mamma,  instead  of  crying  here 
together,  let  us  both  pray  to  God,  and  tell  him  that  we  put 
Gustave  in  His  care.  You  know  when  you  give  me  any 
thing  to  keep  what  good  care  I  take  of  it,  and  God  is  so 
much  better  than  I  am."  Mamma  knelt  down,  and  we 
prayed  together.  She  did  not  cry  any  more ;  but  after 
we  had  finished  she  took  me  in  her  arms,  saying : 

"  Dear  little  preacher !  God  has  taught  you  how  to 
comfort  me,  for  I  really  feel  better." 

"  Well  then,  mamma,  whenever  you  feel  sad,  send  for 
me  and  we  will  pray  together  a  little ;  it  makes  me  so  happy 
to  think  I  can  comfort  you."  Mamma  kissed  me  again, 
and  then  sent  me  to  Mademoiselle,  saying  she  would  try  to 
sleep.  I  did  not  play  all  day  yesterday.  I  felt  like  crying 
in  the  evening  whenever  I  looked  at  Gustave.  Yet  I  must 
not  tell  him — but  I  think  he  already  begins  to  have  some 
idea  of  it.  Poor  Gustave !  Fortunately  I  had  plenty  of 
time  to-day  to  write  this  long  journal,  because  it  was  Sun- 


MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE.  27 

day.     I  went  to  Mass  this  morning.     It's  is  strange  how 
much  more  earnestly  one  prays  when  one  is  unhappy  ! 

Wednesday,  October  22d. 

Yesterday  Mademoiselle  took  me  to  the  Catechism  Class. 
I  was  so  glad  to  see  Marie  and  Jeanne  de  Laval  again,  and 
they  too  seemed  pleased.  The  priest  did  not  ask  us 
any  questions  either  to-day ;  he  only  gave  us  the  lesson  we 
were  to  learn.  I  was  not  sorry,  for  although  I  had  gone 
over  the  first  chapter  again,  I  did  not  know  it  well.  I  have 
had  so  much  to  think  of  lately !  What  good  words  M. 
PAbbe  Martin  said  to  us.  When  he  spoke  of  the  mothers 
who  would  be  made  so  happy  by  the  first  communion  of 
their  children,  Marie  burst  into  tears,  and  Jeanne  whis 
pered  a  few  words  to  her  with  a  sad  face.  Can  they  have 
lost  their  mother  ?  Ah  !  that  would  be  too  terrible.  Poor 
little  girls,  I  hardly  dared  to  look  at  them !  They  were 
very  grave  all  the  rest  of  the  time,  which  suited  my  feel 
ings  too — for  I  have  felt  very  grave  myself  since  I  have 
been  so  troubled  about  Gustave.  Until  now,  the  greatest 
sorrow  I  ever  had  was  when  I  broke  my  beautiful  wax 
doll.  Ah !  I  reme*mber  it  as  if  it  had  happened  yesterday ! 
Poor  Nina!  I  had  put  her  in  my  little  chair,  and  was  jump 
ing  around  the  room  like  a  little  goose,  when  suddenly  I 
fell  on  the  chair,  upsetting  it  and  myself  at  the  same  time. 
But  I  thought  only  of  Nina.  1  picked  her  up  at  once,  but 
alas !  in  the  place  of  her  pretty  face  there  was  only  an 
enormous  hole  !  In  my  horror  I  stood  looking  at  her — my 
nurse  said  with  my  mouth  opened  as  large  as  the  hole — 
and  then  how  I  cried  !  I  shall  never  forget  that  day,  and  I 
am  glad  I  have  written  this  in  my  journal  as  a  remem 
brance  of  Nina.  At  that  time  I  was  too  small  to  keep  a  jour 
nal.  I  was  only  seven,  and  I  did  not  begin  my  journal  un- 


28  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

til  I  was  eight  years  old.  How  fanny  that  first  journal  was ! 
I  just  put  down  :  "  I  got  up  at  7  o'clock.  I  played — we 
took  breakfast  at  11£  o'clock  ;  "  then  again,  "  I  have  read 
and  written  a  little — I  went  to  walk — Gustave  struck  me," 
or  "  I  struck  Gustave."  (I  am  happy  to  say  I  do  not  do  so 
now.)  There  was  nothing  very  nice,  in  this  first  book,  ex 
cept  the  day  when  I  went  to  confession  for  the  first  time, 
and  then  I  did  not  write  down  how  I  felt.  Oh !  that 
confession,  how  well  I  remember  it !  Mademoiselle  had  re 
minded  me  of  all  my  faults — and  how  many  I  had  !  Af 
ter  my  examination  I  did  not  dare  to  look  at  any  one,  and 
I  should  have  been  afraid  of  God,  too,  if  Mademoiselle 
had  not  told  me  that  that  would  be  another  sin,  and  instead 
of  feeling  so,  I  ought  to  ask  for  pardon  and  be  brave. 

When  I  went  into  the  confessional  I  was  so  fright 
ened  that  I  ran  out  at  once,  telling  Mademoiselle  that  I 
was  sure  I  could  not_say  a  word.  And  the  good  cure 
waited  for  me  all  the  time  without  being  angry  writh  me. 
Mademoiselle  encouraged  me,  so,  after  begging  her  to  sit 
in  a  chair  quite  close  to  me,  I  was  able  to  tell  everything. 
I  was  very  glad  when  I  had  finished,  and  felt  more  easy  to 
listen  to  M.  the  cure,  who  gave  me  excellent  advice,  and 
before  I  came  away  I  felt  much  better.  Since  that  day 
whenever  I  have  been  to  confession  it  has  always  done  me 
good,  and  I  often  think  of  what  mamma  told  me  once 
about  a  little  boy  who  said  to  his  mother :  "  Mamma,  the 
confessional  is  the  washbowl  of  sinners."  It  is  very  true, 
for  we  wash  our  conscience  there. 

Friday,  October  24£7t. 

I  have  some  terrible  things  to  tell !  I  could  really,  get 
angry  with  myself  for,  being  so  bad,  only  that  I  have  been 
angry  too  often  already.  Yesterday  I  was  very  naughty. 


MARGUERITE    IN    FRANCE.  29 

"When  I  have  but  little  to  do,  somehow  I  always  get 
naughty,  and  yet  1  do  not  care  to  work  more  than  I  do 
now.  In  the  morning  I  had  plenty  of  good  marks  for  my 
lessons,  so  in  the  afternoon,  as  the  weather  was  beautiful, 
Mademoiselle  allowed  me  to  go  for  a  long  walk  with  my 
maid  and  the  little  ones.  As  we  came  in  quite  late  we  met 
Gustave,  who  comes  home  from  college  earlier  on  Thurs 
day.  As  soon  as  he  saw  me  he  began  to  tease  me,  because 
I  had  torn  my  dress  while  I  was  j  umping  rope  in  the  gar 
dens  of  the  Tuileries.  This  put  me  out  of  temper  at  once, 
for  I  was  already  fretted  by  the  accident.  I  answered  him 
angrily,  and  began  teasing  him  about  a  spot  of  ink  on  his 
shirt.  We  both  grew  angry,  and,  notwithstanding  what 
Josephine  said,  we  went  on  quarrelling  until  we  came  to 
the  staircase.  As  I  went  up  Gustave  wanted  to  pass  me, 
but  I  clung  to  the  baluster,  and  would  not  let  him  pass. 
He  tried  to  make  me  come  down,  and  in  doing  so  his  foot 
caught  in  my  dress  and  tore  out  the  whole  piece.  I  got 
horribly  angry.  I  seized  Gustavo's  vest  and  tried  to  tear 
it.  Gustave  squeezed  my  hands  to  make  me  loosen  my 
grasp,  but  I  stooped  down  and  bit  his  hand  so  sharply  that 
it  brought  the  tears  into  his  eyes,  although  he  tried  hard 
not  to  cry.  He  left  me  at  last,  to  go  and  tell  Mademoiselle 
that  I  was  acting  like  a  little  fury.  This  excited  me  still 
more ;  I  stamped  my  feet,  and  screamed  and  cried  with 
rage.  Stephanie  began  to  cry,  and  Berthe  to  scream. 
Such  an  uproar !  But  I  did  not  care  ;  I  went  on  as  if  I 
did  not  know  what  I  was  doing.  I  felt  in  my  heart,  how 
ever,  how  naughty  I  was — it  seemed  as  if  some  one  were 
pushing  me  on.  Mamma  came  in  at  this  moment  and 
tried  to  quiet  me,  but  in  vain ;  at  last  she  exclaimed, 
"  What !  is  this  the  little  girl  to  whom  I  talked  the  other 
day  as  if  she  were  fifteen  years  old  \ "  All  this  did  me 


30  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

no  good ;  the  more  ashamed  I  felt  the  more  I  stamped  my 
feet,  for  I  was  really  afraid  to  stop  and  think  of  my 
naughtiness.  At  last  Mademoiselle  came.  Ah,  when  I 

O  * 

think  that  she  should  have  seen  me  in  such  a  state  !  She 
stood  looking  at  me  for  several  minutes  without  saying  a 
word,  which  made  me  very  uncomfortable.  Mamma  had 
gone,  and  Mademoiselle  had  that  severe,  cold  look  which 
always  troubles  me  so  much.  She  said  to  Gustave : 

"  I  be«;  vou  to  go  to  vour  room."     I  felt  e;lad  to  hear 

O    «/  *•  .         O 

this,  for  as  long  as  he  was  there  I  knew  I  could  not  get 
good  again.  Then  Mademoiselle  said  to  Josephine : 

"  Take  the  little  ones  away,  that  they  inky  no  longer  see 
this  sad  sight."  I  was  so  astonished  at  these  words  that  I 
was  somewhat  checked,  but  I  wanted  some  one  to  make 
me  angry  again,  for  I  really  felt  afraid  of  being  quiet.  If 
Mademoiselle  had  scolded  me,  I  know  I  should  have  an 
swered  improperly  ;  but  she  only  asked,  very  coldly : 

"  Do  you  wish  to  remain  here,  or  go  to  your  room  ?  "  I 
followed  her  without  reply,  slamming  the  doors  as  hard  as 
I  could,  to  keep  up  my  excitement.  She  took  me  to  my 
room,  and  sat  dowp  without  speaking.  I  did  not  know 
what  to  do.  I  took  off  my  hat  and  flung  it  on  the  bed ;  it 
fell  to  the  ground,  wrhen  I  gave  it  a  great  kick  ;  then  I 
tossed  my  mantilla  to  the  other  end  of  the  room.  After 
all  this,  I  stood  still,  looking  out  of  the  window,  although 
in  reality  I  saw  only  Mademoiselle.  At  last  she  said  : 

"  Has  your  attack  passed  ?  " 

"  What  attack  ?  "  I  cried,  angrily. 

"  I  see  it  is  not  over  yet,"  she  replied.     "  Yery  well,  1 
will  leave  you  ;  you  will  call  me  when  you  have  recovered."  ' 
She  went  away  slowly.     My  good  angel  told  me  to  run 
after  her  and  beg  her  pardon,  but  I  was  too  much  ashamed, 
and  besides  I  had  listened  too  long  to  the  devil  within  me 


MAEGTJEKITE   IN   FRANCE.  31 

— he  was  still  stronger  than  I  was.  I  fastened  my  door, 
and  flinging  myself  on  the  floor,  began  to  cry  as  if  my 
heart  would  break.  Stephanie  came  and  called  through 
the  door : 

"  Do  not  cry  so,  Marguerite."  But  I  cried,  "  Go  away  ! " 
and  went  on  crying  for  at  least  an  hour.  All  at  once  I 
heard  the  dinner-bell ;  this  stopped  me  at  once.  I  ex 
claimed  : 

"  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  am  not  dressed,"  and  I  started  up 
to  call  Josephine,  when  I  thought : 

"  How  can  I  go  down  to  dinner?  I  shall  never  dare  to 
show  myself  to  them  all.  Suppose  they  were  to  send  me 
away  !  What  shall  I  do?  "  I  stopped  and  did  not  dare 
to  move.  I  heard  Stephanie  and  Berthe,  who  passed  laugh 
ing  and  singing.  Stephanie  stopped  by  my  door,  and  when 
Berthe  called  out,  "  Are  you  angry  now,  Maguitte  ?  "  she 
told  her  not  to  speak  so  to  me,  and  then  they  went  away. 
What  should  I  do?  I  would  have  given  up  all  my  pretti 
est  toys,  and  even  my  nicest  books,  not  to  have  been  so 
very  naughty.  At  last  I  heard  some  one  coming,  and  I 
ran  to  unfasten  my  door,  for  it  was  Mademoiselle  ;  then  I 
sat  down  in  a  corner  of  my  room,  feeling  glad  that  it  was 
so  dark  that  no  one  could  see  my  face.  Mademoiselle 
said  : 

u  Marguerite,  they  are  going  to  dinner ;  if  you  think 
you  deserve  to  come  amongst  us  all,  come  down  :  if  not, 
they  will  bring  up  your  dinner."  Then  she  left  me.  I  un 
derstood  what  she  meant,  and  stayed  in  my  room.  How 
ashamed  I  felt  when  Fran9ois  brought  me  my  dinner  and 
a  light !  lie  said  to  me,  "  Now,  now  Mamzelle  Margue 
rite,  don't  mind.  It  is  no  great  matter  when  children  get 
angry.  You  will  outgrow  it."  I  felt  more  ashamed  still, 
and  said  nothing.  What  a  miserable  evening  it.  was ! 


32  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

They  only  let  Stephanie  come  to  kiss  me,  as  she  had  never 
gone  to  sleep  without  doing  so,  but  neither  mamma  nor 
Mademoiselle  came  to  bid  me  good-night.  I  am  sure  that 
was  the  reason  I  slept  badly.  And  when  I  said  my  praye;  * 
and  made  my  examination  for  the  day — which  made  me 
look  back — I  begged  God  to  pardon  me,  but  I  fear  lie 
will  not.  Ah,  suppose  I  had  died  that  night !  This  morn 
ing  Mademoiselle  sent  me  word  to  stay  in  my  room  and 
write  my  journal  very  conscientiously,  until  she  came  to 
see  me.  I  want  to  see  her,  and  yet  I  feel  afraid. 

/Saturday,  October  25th. 

It  is  very  unfortunate  that  Mademoiselle  makes  such  a 
point  of  my  writing  my  journal,  for  now  that  I  have  to 
tell  of  so  many  faults  I  am  obliged  to  write 'volumes.  I 
want  to  remember,  too,  what  Mademoiselle  says  to  me  when 
she  corrects  me,  and  I  have  asked  her  to  look  over  my 
journal  sometimes,  to  see  if  I  have  written  it  properly. 

To  think  of  my  being  in  a  rage  at  ten  years  old  !  I  am 
too  ashamed  !  Yesterday  morning,  just  as  I  was  wiping 
my  pen  after  finishing  my  journal,  Mademoiselle  came  in. 
I  got  up,  but  did  not  dare  to  run  and  kiss  her  as  usual. 
She  came  to  me  and  said  : 

"  Are  you  Marguerite  again  to-day  ? "  Then  she  took 
my  hands,  and  sitting  down,  drew  me  towards  her. 

"  Poor  child,"  she  said,  "  poor  little  Marguerite,  how  un 
happy  you  are  ! "  It  was  true  enough,  and  I  began  to  sob. 
Mademoiselle  continued :  "  So  in  one  moment  you  knocked 
down  and  destroyed  the  beautiful  building  you  had  made 
of  your  good  resolutions  !  Nothing  remains ;  the  gust  of 
anger  has  carried  everything  away — your  mother,  whom 
you*  love — Gustave,  from  whom  you  are  soon  to  be  sepa 
rated — but  above  all,  God,  whom  you  are  preparing  to 


MARGUERITE   IN  FRANCE.  33 

approach  at  your  first  communion.  Nothing  could  stop 
you  ;  you  have  pained  your  mother,  irritated  Gustave, 
shocked  your  little  sisters  and  the  servants,  and  sadly  sur 
prised  and  troubled  me.  Ah,  Marguerite,  this  is  very  sad! 
You  seemed  tohavelost  your  reason  too,  for  I  need  hardly 
ask  you,  Marguerite,  if  it  was  a  reasonable  being  that  I  saw 
yesterday— a  little  girl  with  flashing  eyes,  clenched  fists, 
and  angry  brow,  who  was  threatening  all  who  approached 
her !  Ah,  Marguerite,  the  remembrance  of  that  sad  sight 
was  with  me  all  through  the  night.  Yes,  you  cry,  as  in 
deed  you  should,  but  I,  my  child,  weep  for  you  when  I  ask 
what  will  be  your  future  life,  if  you  do  not  restrain  the 
violence  of  your  temper." 

To  think  that  Mademoiselle  should  cry  for  such  a 
naughty  girl  as  I  am  !  I  hid  my  face  in  her  lap,  and  kiss 
ing  her  hands,  cried : 

"  Forgive  me  !  forgive  me  !  " 

"  You  must  first  ask  God  to  pardon  you,  my  child.  If 
you  are  distressed,  as  I  see  you  are,  at  having  troubled  me. 
because  you  know  how  much  I  love  you,  how  must  you 
feel  before  God,  who  loves  you  so  much  better,  and  has 
bestowed  on  you  so  many  blessings?" 

"  I  have  asked  Him  to  pardon  me,  Mademoiselle,"  I 
sobbed ;  "  but  I  am  afraid  He  will  not." 

"  Yes,  my  child,  He  will,  He  always  will,  for  He  is  good 
ness  itself.  But  you  must  not  abuse  His  goodness." 

"  Mademoiselle,  I  know  I  am  very  naughty,  but  why  did 
Gustave  tear  my  dress  ?  " 

"  Marguerite,  I  do  not  wish  to  hear  the  history  of  this 
shameful  quarrel ;  nothing  could  excuse  the  anger  in  which 
I  found  you.  But  admitting  that  Gustave  was  in  the 
wrong — and  he  has  acknowledged  it  to  me — tell  me 
frankly,  did  that  justify  you  ?  " 
2* 


34  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

I  said  "  No,"  very  softly,  and  Mademoiselle  continued : 

"  If  you  had  replied  gaily  to  Gustave  when  he  began  to 
tease  you,  as  I  have  always  advised  you  to  do — if  you  had 
spoken  in  a  pleasant  tone  instead  .of  getting  angry  at  once, 
would  it  not  have  ended  the  dispute  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Mademoiselle ;  but  I  did  not  feel  like  joking,  be 
cause  I  had  torn  my  dress  during  the  walk." 

"  Then  by  your  own  account  you  were  out  of  temper  be 
fore  Gustave  spoke  to  you.  The  first  wrong  was  not  from 
him." 

"  Yes,  Mademoiselle,  for  if  he  had  not  teased  me,  I  should 
not  have  been  so  angry." 

"  I  do  not  know  that,  Marguerite.  Suppose  Stephanie 
had  put  her  foot  on  your  dress  by  accident,  or  Berthe  had 
pulled  it  in  playing,  feeling  as  you  did,  would  you  not 
have  fallen  into  exactly  the  same  rage  ? " 

"  Perhaps  not,  Mademoiselle." 

"  Listen  to.  me,  my  child.  You  are  little  and  weak,  but 
God  knows  it,  and  will  always  strengthen  and  help  you. 
Have  you  not  often  felt  that  He  helped  you  when  you 
called  upon  Him  ?  Every  time  that  you  have  subdued 
your  impatience,  or  avoided  a  quarrel,  was  it  not  because 
God  helped  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Mademoiselle,  because  of  myself  I  am  always 
naughty.  Mademoiselle,  I  will  tell  you  the  whole  truth, 
although  I  feel  so  much  ashamed." 

"  Speak,  my  child,"  Mademoiselle  said,  very  kindly. 

"  Well,  then,  God  was  helping  me  all  the  time  that  I 
v/as  so  angry,  although  I  did  not  ask  Him  and  diM  not 
want  His  help.  In  the  midst  of  my  fury  I  felt  something 
telling  me  how  naughty  I  was.  You  see,  it  was  my  con 
science  speaking  to  me,  as  you  have  so  often  told  me. 
Well,  I  only  cried  harder  every  time  I  heard  this  voice,  for 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  35 

I  would  not  listen  to  it.  Oh,  Mademoiselle,  I  am  so  sorry 
now,  for  I  have  been  so  unmindful  of  God's  voice." 

"  I  have  already  told  you,  Marguerite,  what  you  must  do. 
Fou  must  ask  God  to  pardon  you,  and  furthermore  you 
must  strive  to  make  amends  for  this  anger  of  which  you 
are  now  so  ashamed,  by  trying  in  future  to  be  patient, 
gentle,  and  kind  towards  others." 

"  Yes,  Mademoiselle,  but  it  is  so  difficult." 

"  God  will  help  you." 

"  And  you  too  \     Tell  me  at  once  what  I  ought  to  do." 

"  Go  then,  my  child,  and  kiss  your  dear  mother  whom 
you  have  distressed  so  much.  Make  to  her  the  same 
promises  you  have  made  to  me.  Then,  in  speaking  to 
Stephanie  and  Berthe,  try  to  make  them  understand  how 
sorry  you  are  that  you  set  them  so  bad  an  example." 

"  Oh,  Mademoiselle  !  " 

"  Yon  ought  to  do  it,  Marguerite,  otherwise  these  chil 
dren  will  remember  only  your  naughtiness.  They  ought 
to  see  that  you  are  trying  to  do  better." 

I  could  hardly  raise  my  eyes.  Mademoiselle  then  said 
to  me: 

"  As  to  Gustavo,  he  is  now  in  college,  but  this  evening 
I  trust  you  will  meet  each  other  affectionately,  and  both 
offer  excuses.  Gustave  is  already  inclined  to  do  so." 

u  And  I  am,  too,  but  I  am  so  ashamed  ! " 

"  That  is  natural,  my  child ;  but  this  is  your  first  punish 
ment,  so  try  to  accept  it." 

"  Yes,  Mademoiselle  ;  only  kiss  me.  I  am  going  to  be  so 
good.  Look  at  me  with  the  face  you  have  every  day." 

Mademoiselle  kissed  me  fondly,  which  comforted  me  a 
little.  Iran  to  my  dear  mother,  who  pardoned  me  at 
once ;  but  my  conscience  still  troubles  me.  Mademoiselle 
says  I  shall  feel  more  at  ease  after  I  have  been  good  and 


00  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

gentle  for  some  time.  I  trust  it  may  be  so.  I  said  to 
Stephanie  and  Bcrthe  as  I  kissed  them : 

"  I  was  very  naughty  yesterday ;  do  not  act  as  I  did." 
Stephanie  replied  : 

"  Oh  no,  that  makes  every  one  too  unhappy."  These 
words  struck  me  like  a  knife.  As  to  that  wicked  little 
Berthe,  she  laughed,  and  began  to  cry  and  stamp  her  feet, 
saying :  "  See,  this  is  the  way  you  did  yesterday."  It 
was  very  difficult  not  to  get  angry,  but  I  did  not  speak.  I 
am  afraid  that  Berthe  may  be  like  me  some  day,  for  she  is 
too  quick-tempered.  Stephanie  is  like  mamma.  Gustave 
was  very  kind  to  me  in  the  evening.  He  said : 

"  You  see,  we  were  both  naughty  yesterday,  so  do  not  be 
too  unhappy  about  it."  But  I  said  I  had  been  worse  than 
he,  for  he  was  half  in  play  and  I  not  at  all.  I  am  very 
glad  this  day  is  done. 

Monday,  October  27th. 

My  day  on  Saturday  was  not  bad.  Mademoiselle  thought 
that  I  was  more  patient.  Yesterday  I  went  to  High  Mass 
with  mamma,  Mademoiselle,  and  Gustave.  I  am  so  happy 
when  papa  goes  to  church  with  us.  Unfortunately  it  does 
not  often  happen,  for  he  is  so  busy.  But  they  say  that  Sun 
day  is  the  day  of  rest,  the  Lord's  day.  Why,  then,  does  papa 
have  so  much  to  do  ?  But  he  came  with  us  yesterday,  so  I 
was  very  happy,  and  mamma  too,  I  think.  After  coining 
from  Mass  I  played  with  the  little  ones  and  Gustave.  I 
was  just  going  to  be  angry,  when,  happily,  Mademoifelle 
came  to  talk  to  me  about  making  Sunday  holy,  and  I 
thought  a  quarrel  would  not  do  so.  And  besides  there 
were  all  my  promises  to  God.  What  annoys  me  very  much 
is,  that  whenever  I  try  to  stop  my  impatience,  Gustave 
begins  to  laugh,  and  cries,  "  Victory,  victory ! "  It  is  a  vie- 


MAKGTJEKTTE   IN   FRANCE.  37 

tory,  to  be  sure,  for  Mademoiselle  herself  said  so,  but  I  do 
not  like  Gustave  to  say  anything  about  it.  We  took  a 
very  pleasant  drive,  and  in  the  evening  I  showed  Bertlie 
some  pictures.  She  is  a  funny  little  thing  ;  she  amuses  us 
all  by  her  remarks. 

Wednesday,  October  20th. 

Yesterday  they  questioned  us  at  last  upon  the  catechism, 
and  I  knew  my  part  very  well,  but  they  said  I  spoke  too 
softly.  Gustave  pretends  to  be  much  surprised  at  this,  as 
he  says  I  am  always  screaming,  but  I  would  like  to  see 
how  well  he  could  recite  anything  amongst  all  those  lit 
tle  girls  who  are  looking  at  you  all  the  time.  I  am  sure 
he  would  be  red  to  his  ears.  Marie  de  Laval  said  her  part 
well,  too ;  she  trembled,  but  you  could  hear  every  word  she 
said.  What  a  sweet  voice  she  has  ;  it  goes  to  my  heart ! 
They  questioned  Jeanne,  too,  but  she  stopped  in  the  very 
middle  of  her  answer.  It  was  not  from  shyness,  for  she 
looks  at  me  as  if  she  had  known  me  twenty  years.  Marie 
tried  to  prompt  her,  but  it  was  no  use,  and  Jeanne  had  to 
sit  down.  I  should  not  have  liked  to  be  in  her  place,  and 
I  hardly  dared  look  at  her,  but  she  laughed,  although  she 
was  very  red.  I  should  not  have  felt  like  laughing.  They 
gave  us  a  little  analysis  to  make  out,  and  I  shall  hope  to 
do  mine  nicely,  as  Mademoiselle  will  help  me.  They 
allow  us  to  have  some  help  at  first.  I  wras  made  very  happy 
because  in  going  out  I  had  a  few  moments  to  speak  to 
Marie.  It  was  raining,  and  her  grandfather  seemed 
unwilling  to  venture  outside,  and  was  looking  about  for 
a  carriage.  Mademoiselle  offered  to  send  him  one,  and  he 
made  many,  many  acknowledgments,  but  would  not  accept 
her  offer.  Marie  said  to  me  timidly  : 

"  How  good  this  young  lady  is !  -I  am  very  much  afraid 


38  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

that  grandpapa  will  take  cold,  and  it  always  makes  him  so 
ill."    I  replied: 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Mademoiselle  is  very  good,  but  she  cannot 
help  being  so."  Then  Marie  said : 

j     "  And  I  am  sure  that  you  are  good  too,  and  we  are  very 
glad  to  be  seated  next  you." 

"  And  so  am  I,"  I  answered ;  "  but  I  am  not  good  at  all, 
I  assure  you  ;  but  you  are,  I  know."  She  smiled,.but  at  this 
moment  Mademoiselle  backoned  to  me,  and  we  went  away 
quickly  to  look  for  a  carriage,  which  we  sent  to  them. 
Mademoiselle  says  that  this  grandpapa  and  these  little 
girls  interest  her  very  much.  So  I  am  not  the  only  one 
who  feels  so  about  them. 

Thursday,  October  30£A, 

Yesterday  evening,  after  my  lessons,  Mademoiselle  made 
me  make  my  examination  of  conscience,  as  I  am  to  go  to 
confession  on  the  festival  of  La  Toussaint.  How  shall  I 
ever  tell  of  my  terrible  rage !  But  it  will  comfort  me 
when  it  is  once  done.  I  believe  I  am  really  repentant,  foi 
I  feel  so  grieved  when  I  think  how  wicked  I  have  been, 
and  that  God  is  so  good.  Gustave  too  is  preparing  to 
confess,  so  that  he  does  not  tease  me  any  more.  Besides, 
he  will  have  the  happiness  of  communing,  and  that  always 
makes  him  better.  Oh !  how  I  wish  I  were  in  his  place  ! 

Friday,  October  31st. 

I  went  to  confession  yesterday  in  the  afternoon,  and 
now  God  knows  all  I  have  promised  Him  to  do.  I  wish 
and  hope  to  keep  my  promise  this  time.  I  do  not  know 
why  it  is  that  Cecile  Dufon  declares  that  she  is  always 
so  tired  in  church.  I  find  it  is  so  pleasant  to  be  there. 
Perhaps  she  never  gets  in  a  rage,  and  has  nothing  to  tell 
God.  However,  she  has  other  faults,  as  I  know  well. 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE  39 

And  then  her  mother  is  so  often  ill.  She  could  always 
speak  of  that  in  her  prayers.  As  for  me,  I  have  always 
so  much  to  say  that  1  never  know  where  to  begin,  and  am 
all  in  confusion ;  but  Mademoiselle  says  that  is  no  matter. 
First  I  have  to  ask  pardon  for  all  my  sins,  and  then  to  beg 
God  to  change  me  and  Gustave  too.  Then  for  Baby,  who 
is  sometimes  sick  ;  for  papa,  especially  when  he  is  at  sea ; 
for  mamma,  my  Uncle  Henry,  all  my  relations,  and  also 
for  my  dear  Mademoiselle.  Lastly,  for  our  long  voyage. 
By  the  way,  I  asked  maihma  when  we  should  start,  but 
she  told  me  the  time  was  not  yet  fixed,  but  it  would  not  be 
for  several  months.  She  is  so  sad,  whenever  I  speak 
about  it,  that  I  cannot  ask  many  questions.  I  am  always 
sorry  to  think  about  Gustave,  but  not  as  much  as  at  first, 
for  he  knows  all  about  it  now,  and  it  does  not  trouble  him 
so  very  much ;  but  he  is  very  brave. 

Monday,  November  3rf. 

Saturday  I  had  holiday  for  the  feast  of  La  Toussaint. 
Yesterday  being  Sunday,  we  did  not  keep  the  Commemo 
ration  of  the  Dead  until  to-day.  After  Mass  and  break 
fast  were  over,  I  went  to  my  lessons. 

Yesterday  the  church  was  all  in  mourning,  which 
touched  me  very  much.  Mamma  and  Mademoiselle  were 
both  sad,  for  they  have  lost  so  many  of  those  they  loved. 
Both  mamma  and  Mademoiselle  were  at  the  communion 
the  day  before  yesterday  and  to-day.  Gustave  also  yes 
terday,  and  he  was  very  good.  I  felt  a  sort  of  respect 
for  him,  so  that  we  passed  the  days  very  pleasantly.  But 
in  the  evening  I  was  very  near  spoiling  it  all,  as  I  grew 
almost  angry  in  talking  about  Mademoiselle.  Stephanie 
said  to  me  while  we  were  playing : 

Jr       «/        o 

"  Marguerite,  why  does  Mademoiselle  go  to  confession  ? 


40  MAKGTJEKITE   IN   FRANCE 

Has  she  committed  any  sins  ? "  I  really  felt  puzzled,  for 
I  certainly  could  not  think  that  she  had  any  sins. 

But  Gustave  cried,  "  Ah  ha !  I  know,  if  you  do  not,  of 
what  she  accuses  herself."  This  began  to  tease  me,.and  I 
asked : 

"Of  what?" 

"  Of  spoiling  you  too  much." 

"  Oh,  for  shame !  "  I  cried  ;  "  that  is  too  bad !  How  can 
you  say  that  she  spoils  me  ? " 

"  Does  she  ever  scold  you  ?  Was  she  eren  angry  with 
you,  the  day  of  your  great  rage  ?  " 

"  No,  Gustave,  but  it  made  more  impression  on  me  than 
if  she  had  been  angry." 

"  But  she  did  not  punish  you,  for  you  chose  yourself  to 
stay  in  your  room  during  dinner-time." 

"  Yes,  Gustave ;  but  she  knew  just  what  to  say  to  me  which 
would  punish  me  most.  But  it  is  not  very  good  of  you  to 
speak  of  that  hateful  day.  Were  you  not  naughty  too  ?  And 
yet  you  went  down  to  dinner !  It  is  you  that  are  spoiled  !  " 
Gustave  was  going  to  answer,  when  Berthe  cried  out : 

"  It  is  not  you  two,  it  is  I  that  am  spoiled  ! "  This  made 
us  all  laugh,  which  was  very  fortunate. 

Tuesday,  November  4th. 

To-day  is  Mademoiselle's  birthday,  and  we  have  given 
her  many  good  wishes.  I  have  prayed  for  her,  too,  for  I 
love  her  so  much !  I  have  quite  an  event,  too,  to  tell  about 
my  studies,  for  I  began  yesterday  to  learn  Roman  history. 
I  have  wanted  to  do  so  a  long  time.  However,  Greek  his 
tory  is  very-  nice,  and  interests  me  greatly,  but  I  am  not  so 
sorry  to  have  finished  it,  as  Mademoiselle  says  I  shall  come 
back  to  it,  and  learn  it  more  in  detail.  Sometimes)  when 
Gustave  is  amiable,  we  have  a  very  pleasant  time.  We 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  41 

represent  the  scenes  of  ancient  times  and  call  it  "  playing 
at  great  men."  But  he  almost  always  wants  to  play  the  best 
parts,  and  so  do  I,  so  that  we  generally  end  with  a  dis 
pute.  Once  he  gave  up  to  me,  but  after  all  he  was  not 
very  good.  lie  consented  that  I  should  be  Themistocles, 

*/     O 

while  he  was  Eurybiades,  and  when  I  said,  "  Strike,  but  lis 
ten  !"  he  replied,  "  There !"  and  gave  me  a  great  blow.  I 
was  very  angry,  and  told  him  that  it  was  not  in  the  play 
at  all,  fur  Eurybiades  admired  Themistocles,  and  that  he 
ought  to  feel  so  to  me ;  that  he  was  not  worthy  of  repre 
senting  a  noble  Greek,  and  that  in  order  to  punish  him  I 
should  not  win  the  battle  of  Salamis. 

How  tiresome  these  disputes  are.  They  spoil  all  one's 
pleasure.  I  like  better  to  play  with  Stephanie  and  Berthe, 
for  they  at  least  do  everything  as  I  want  it.  Yesterday 
evening  we  represented  the  Sacrifice  of  Abraham.  I  was 
the  patriarch,  and  Berthe  played  Isaac.  She  was  too  pretty  > 
with  a  fagot  which  I  tied  on  her  back  to  represent  th» 
sacrificial  wood.  When  she  said  to  me,  "  My  father,"  I 
choked  with  laughter,  but  I  pretended  to  be  hiding  mv 

O  O  v 

tears.  But  when  I  wanted  to  bind  the  eyes  of  my  son,  she 
resisted,  as  that  seemed  to  trouble  her,  and  cried,  "  oSTo,  no, 
Maguitte,  I  want  to  see  plain."  I  said  to  her  with  dignity, 
"  You  must  be  quiet,  for  you  are  not  like  Isaac  at  all,"  but 
she  struggled  so  I  added,  "  Very  well,  I  am  going  to  kill 
you  all  the  same."  Stephanie  waited  all  this  time,  mount 
ed  on  a  chair,  to  play  the  angel,  and  she  caught  my  arm 
very  nicely,  but  unfortunately  she  suddenly  tumbled  off 
of  her  chair,  which  was  not  very  graceful  conduct  for  an 
angel. 

Wednesday,  November  5th. 

Mademoiselle  has  been  telling  me  about  "  the  Rape  of 
the  Sabines,"  which  interested  rne  very  much,  as  I  had  seen 


42  MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

a  picture  of  it.  It  was  very  wicked  of  Romulus  to  have 
deceived  the  poor  Sabines,  and  carried  off  the  women  by 
force.  How  many  wicked  men  there  were  in  those  an 
cient  times !  Mademoiselle  says  that  it  was  because  they 
had  forgotten  God,  and  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  not 
yet  come  down  to  earth.  Mademoiselle  lias  also  explained 
to  me  how  the  wicked  are  judged  now  in  our  times.  How 
the  criminals  are  pursued,  arrested,  and  condemned  if  they 
are  found  guilty.  And  she  has  told  me  of  the  changes 
which  Christianity  has  made  in  the  world.  I  wish  that  Ro 
mulus  had  been  put  in  prison  for  killing  his  poor  brother, 
Remus.  And  to  think  that  the  Romans  should  have  made 
a  god  of  this  wicked  king  ! 

Baby  was  sick  yesterday  ;  he  seemed  very  feeble.  Mamma 
did  not  go  out  all  day,  and  she  was  very  sad,  too,  because 
£apa  had  gone  to  Brest.  I  am  sorry,  too,  that  papa 
is  not  here,  and  that  we  shall  not  see  him  for  some  time, 
but  then  I  think  that  this  absence  will  bring  us  nearer  our 
great  voyage,  which  consoles  me  a  little  in  spite  of  myself. 
Besides,  it  is  not  the  same  as  when  papa  goes  away  for 
several  months.  I  knew  my  catechism.  They  questioned 
us  on  the  lesson,  to  see  how- well  we  understood  it,  and  as 
Mademoiselle  had  explained  everything  to  me,  I  could  an 
swer  correctly.  M.  1' Abbe  Martin  told  me  that  my  analysis 
was  good,  too,  but  a  little  too  long,  and  that  1  must  learn  to 
abridge.  It  is  very  true  that  I  do  not  know  how  to  do  so. 
What  annoyed  me  was  that  the  little  girls  laughed  at  what 
M.  1' Abbe  said  to  me ;  but  he  told  them  it  was  a  good  fault, 
and  he  wished  he  could  complain  of  it  in  them.  How 
good  Marie  was !  When  they  were  talking  about  me,  she 
did  not  look  at  me  at  all,  but  afterwards  she  gave  me  such 
a  sweet  smile.  But  what  gave  me  even  more  pleasure 
was  to  meet  Mademoiselle's  eyes.  She  looked  at  me  as 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  43 

mamma  does  sometimes.     And  indeed  she  is  my  mother, 
after  mamma. 

Friday,  November  1th. 

What  a  nice  day  I  had  yesterday  !  I  went  to  Mass  with 
Mademoiselle,  and  then,  instead  of  bringing  me  home  at 
once  to  my  studies,  as  usual,  she  took  me  to  visit  our  poor 
people.  I  had  gained  by  my  good  marks  twenty  sous 
during  the  past  month,  and  mamma  added  something.  So, 
with  what  Gustave  and  the  little  ones  had,  I  could  give 
&w&y  five  francs  !  That  was  beautiful !  We  went  at  first 
to  a  book-store  to  buy  a  book  of  prayers,  which  the  priest 
had  recommended  to  us  at  the  catechism  on  Tuesday. 
And  what  did  I  see  but  Marie  and  Jeanne  de  Laval,  who 
came  out  of  church  and  were  going  to  look  for  the  same 
book.  I  grew  quite  red  with  pleasure,  and  stopped  to  look 
at  them  without  thinking  of  anything  else  ;  but  Made 
moiselle  asked  for  the  books,  and  made  me  choose  one.  I 
had  only  nodded  to  the  little  girls,  but  I  could  not  help 
thinking  what  a  good  chance  it  was  to  make  their  accpiain- 
tance,  only  I  did  not  know  how  to  begin.  But  Made 
moiselle,  who  always  understands  me,  spoke  to  Marie,  and 
said,  pointing  to»me : 

"  Here  is  a  little  girl  who  is  very  happy  to  meet  you." 
"  And  I  am,  too,  Mademoiselle,  I  assure  you,"  said  Marie 
in  her  sweet  voice,  "  for  I  did  not  know  when  I  should  be 
able  to   thank  you  for  the  kindness   you  showed    to   my 
grandfather  the  other  day." 

I  Mademoiselle  said  that  it  had  been  very  easy  for  us  to  do 
\  BO  small  a  kindness,  and  in  this  way  the  conversation  be 
gan.  We  went  out  together,  and  found  they  were  going 
in  the  same  direction  as  ourselves.  They  were  with  an  old 
negress,  at  whom  I  should  have  looked  curiously  enough 
at  another  time,  but  I  liked  better  to  look  at  Marie.  It  is 


44:  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

strange,  but  she  seems  to  do  just  as  she  likes,  and  yet  I  am 
sure  she  is  not  wilful.  One  can  see  that  Jeanne  obeys  her 
sister,  which  surprises  me,  for  Marie  is  so  gentle.  Made 
moiselle  spoke  of  their  grandfather,  and  we  soon  learned 
that  he  was  their  only  protector.  They  have  lost  both  father 
and  mother !  Ah,  poor  little  girls,  it  was  what  I  feared  so 
much !  Marie  told  us  in  very  few  words,  but  the  tears 
were  in  her  eyes  and  you  could  see  that  she  could  not  say 
much  of  these  sad  events.  Her  father  died  when  she  was 
quite  young,  but  her  mother  lately,  in  coming  from  one  of 
the  colonies,  as  her  mother  was  a  Creole.  I  did  not  dare 
ask  the  name  of  the  colony,  but  happily  Marie  mentioned 
it.  It  is  the  island  of  Bourbon.  Marie  looks  like  a  Creole, 
for  although  she  is  pale,  she  is  also  dark,  but  Jeanne  is 
very  fair.  It  seems  that  the  grandfather  is  the  father  of  their 
father  and  that  they  live  with  him.  They  said  good-by  to 
us  at  the  door  of  a  fine  old  house,  where  they  live.  I  was 
very  glad  to  know  where  they  lived,  and  Mademoiselle 
said  she  thought  I  should  be  able  to  see  them  again. 
"With  this,  and  the  happiness  of  giving  five  francs  to  one 
poor  family,  I  was  as  happy  as  a  queen  all  day. 

» 

Monday,  November  Wth. 

Baby  was  very  sick  yesterday,  which  made  everybody 
very  unhappy.  Mamma  was  very  much  frightened,  and 
that  made  us  all  feel  afraid.  When  Stephanie  saw1  that 
mamma  was  crying,  she  thought  that  Baby  must  be  going 
to  die,  and  she  sobbed  and  cried  until  she  made  herself 
sick.  Mademoiselle  took  Stephanie  away,  and  told  her 
that  she  was  only  troubling  mamma,  and  that  she  could 
not  cure  Baby  by  crying,  but  she  must  say  a  little  prayer 
for  him.  She  said  that  Baby  was  not  in  as  much  danger 
as  mamma  thought,  but  a  mother  was  always  anxious. 


MAKGUEKITE   IN   FKANCE.  45 

Stephanie  was  somewhat  consoled,  but  she  would  not  go  to 
walk  until  Mademoiselle  told  her  that  Josephine  should 
take  her  and  Berthe  to  church,  where  they  could  ask  God 
to  cure  Baby. 

Mademoiselle  allowed  me  to  stay  and  help  her  to  take 
care  of  the  poor  little  darling.  I  was  so  happy  to  be  of 
some  use,  but  I  should  have  been  happier  to  see  Baby  well. 
Mademoiselle  put  on  the  blisters  and  poultices  that  the 
doctor  has  ordered,  and  I  ran  back  and  forth  to  bring 
what  she  wanted.  Poor  Baby,  he  laid  his  little  head  on 
nurse's  shoulder  and  moaned  so  gently  that  it  broke  one's 
heart  to  hear  him,  and  then  he  looked  at  us  so  piteously  ! 
It  brought  the  tears  to  my  eyes,  but  I  kept  them  back,  and 
tried  to  be  brave  like  Mademoiselle.  At  last,  when  the 
doctor  came  back  in  the  evening,  Baby  was  sleeping  quiet 
ly,  and  no  one'in  the  room  dared  to  move.  My  limbs  were 
stiff,  and  in  spite  of  myself  I  kept  falling  asleep.  The  doc 
tor  said  he  thought  Baby  was  much  better,  and  just  then 
Baby  waked  and  smiled  as  if  he  understood.  Then  he 
wanted  to  go  to  mamma,  which  relieved  poor  nurse  a  Jittle. 
They  let  me  kiss  the  little  love  before  they  sent  me  away. 
I  found  Stephanie  delighted,  and  she  said  to  me  : 

"  You  see,  Marguerite,  that  Baby  is  almost  well,  for  the 
doctor  has  told  us  so,  and  the  good  God  has  cured  him." 
Berthe  and  Gustave  were  both  very  happy.  Gustave  said 
to  me: 

"  You  have  been  playing  sick-nurse,  I  hear.  It  was  high 
time  !  I  see  you  are  good  for  something."  lie  wanted  to 
make  fun  of  me,  but.  I  did  not  get  angry,  for  I  was  too 
happy. 

Tuesday,  November  llth. 

Baby  is  much  better.  Yesterday  was  a  fine  day,  and 
we  all  went  to  church  to  thank  God  for  curing  the  little 


46  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

pet.  It  is  so  fortunate,  as  mamma  says,  that  papa  will 
not  hear  of  Baby's  illness  until  he  hears  he  is  well.  It 
would  have  been  sad  for  papa  when  he  is  so  far  away.  I 
wonder  when  he  will  come  home.  It  seems  a  long  time 
since  he  went.  "We  all  miss  him,  but  mamma  most  of  all. 
I  studied  well,  and  Mademoiselle  was  pleased  with  me. 
But  I  found  terrible  things  in  my  Roman  history.  How 
the  poor  Servius  Tullius  was  killed  by  his  son-in-law,  that 
wicked  prince  whom  they  call  Tarquin  the  Superb  !  And 
what  is  more  dreadful  is,  that  even  the  daughter  of  the 
unhappy  king,  the  wicked  Tullia,  had  no  pity  for  her  own 
father !  I  feel  overwhelmed  by  such  dreadful  things,  for 
I  began  to  like  the  Romans  a  little. 

Wednesday,  November  12th. 

I  am  wild  with  joy,  for  Marie  and  Jeanne  are  coming 
to-morrow  to  spend  the  day  with  me.  Mamma,  who  is  al- 
\vays  good,  asked  M.  1'Abbe  Martin  about  the  two  little 
girls,  and  he  told  her  their  history,  which  is  very  touching. 
The  good  old  grandpapa  had  only  one  son,  who  was  the 
father  of  Marie  and  Jeanne,  and  was  a  sailor.  His  vessel 
was  sent  on  a  grand  expedition  to  India,  but  they  met 
English  vessels,  which  attacked  them.  The  French  defend 
ed  themselves  bravely,  and  the  English  could  not  take  the 
vessel,  although  the  French  had  many  killed  and  wound 
ed.  But  the  saddest  of  all  was  that  the  young  officer,  M. 
de  Laval,  was  more  seriously  wounded  than  any  of  the 
others.  They  thought  he  would  die,  which  was  very  sad,  as 
he  acted  so  bravely.  They  put  him  ashore  at  the  island  of 
Bourbon  with  the  rest  of  the  wounded,  to  be  nursed  there. 
The  Creoles  are  so  kind,  that  they  cared  for  these  poor 
people  as  if  they  had  been  friends,  and  when  M.  de  Laval 
came  out  of  the  hospital,  every  one  was  anxious  to  have 


MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE.  47 

him  come  to  his  country  house  to  regain  his  strength. 
But  he  had  lost  one  leg,  which  was  a  great  misfortune. 
But  after  all  he  had  some  consolation  for  it,  for  a  young 
lady  in  one  of  the  Creole  families — this  was  the  mother  of 
Marie  and  Jeanne — admired  and  pitied  the  poor  wounded 
officer  so  much  that  after  a  little  time  she  married  him. 
They  wrote  about  it  to  the  good  grandpapa,  but  in  those 
days,  when  there  was  so  much  fighting  at  sea,  letters  were 
very  long  in  going  from  one  place  to  another.  So  the  poor 
father  mourned  for  his  son  as  dead,  for  he  had  only  heard 
that  he  was  left  wounded  at  the  island  of  Bourbon.  But 
young  M.  de  Laval  was  not  dead,  and  after  a  little  while 
he  had  a  son,  then  Marie,  and  then  Jeanne.  But,  alas  !  at 
the  end  of  four  years,  he  was  taken  very  ill,  and  in  spite 
of  the  love  and  care  of  his  poor  wife  he  died,  just  as  they 
received  letters  from  the  grandfather,  who  was  so  rejoiced 
to  hear  good  news  of  his  son.  Poor  Mme.  de  Laval  was 
almost  inconsolable.  At  last,  by  degrees,  she  recovered 
her  cheerfulness,  but  she  never  cared  to  go  out  or  have  any 
society,  and  was  also  very  delicate.  They  wrote  all  this  to 
the  grandfather,  but  did  not  hear  from  him  for  two  years, 
as  the  sad  news  had  made  him  so  ill  that  for  a  long  time 
they  thought  he  would  not  get  well.  But  as  soon  as  he 
could,  he  wrote  to  beg  Mme.  de  Laval  so  earnestly  to 
come  to  him  and  bring  his  grandchildren,  that  she  could 
not  refuse  him.  She  could  not,  however,  start  at  once,  as 
she  was  afraid  to  make  so  long  a  voyage  alone.  Tier  fam 
ily  tried  to  arrange  everything  for  her,  as  they  thought 
the  sea  voyage  would  do  her  good,  and  a  change  was  neces 
sary  for  the  education  of  her  children.  So  last  year  she 
started  with  her  three  children.  But  something  terribly 
sad  happened.  Mme.  de  Laval  was  so  ill  at  sea  that  she 
could  not  be  cured,  and  she  died  before  the  voyage  was 


48  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

more  than  half  passed.  M.  1'Abbe  said  that  he  heard  Marie 
had  been  like  an  angel  about  her  poor  mother's  sick-bed, 
and  the  son,  too,  had  been  very,  devoted  to  her,  but  all  in 
vain.  I  do  not  see  how  Marie  could  bear  such  a  sorrow  ! 
I  should  not  dare  to  speak  to  her  of  it,  although  1  long  to 
do  so.  Even  M.  1'Abbe  himself  had  tears  in  his  eyes,  mamma 
said,  as  he  spoke  of  it.  It  was  the  old  grandfather  who 
told  M.  1'Abbe.  He  says  he  can  never  forgive  himself 
for  having  sent  for  his  daughter-in-law,  and  he  pets  his 
grandchildren  as  much  as  he  can.  The  son  is  preparing 
himself  for  the  sea,  like  his  father,  and  Marie  and  Jeanne 
take  lessons  at  home.  M.  1'Abbe  says  they  are  charming 
little  girls,  and  that  I.  could  not  have  a  sweeter  friend  than 
Marie,  of  which  1  was  sure  myself.  So  mamma  permitted 
me  to  ask  Marie  and  Jeanne  to  come  and  spend  to-morrow 
afternoon  with  me.  I  wrote  myself  to  Marie,  and  Made 
moiselle  said  my  note  would  do  nicely.  Marie  has  sent  me 
such  a  lovely  note  in  answer  to  mine,  and  has  accepted  ! 
I  am  too  happy  ! 


Friday,  November 
Mademoiselle  wishes  me  to  write  down  the  account  of 
my  day  yesterday,  instead  of  my  composition,  so  I  shall 
try  to  do  as  well  as  I  can.  Well,  I  went  to  Mass  in  the 
morning  at  9  o'clock  and  there  I  saw  Marie  and  Jeanne 
sitting  beneath  the  pulpit.  But  I  took  no  notice  of  them, 
as  I  felt  it  would  not  be  proper  to  nod  or  smile  to  any  one 
in  church.  After  my  lessons  and  breakfast  were  over.  I 
busied  myself  in  putting  in  order  the  school-room  and 
my  own  little  room,  in  which  Stephanie  helped  me 
very  nicely.  She  was  quite  happy  because  I  had  promised 
that  she  should  have  Jeanne.  Berthe  wanted  some  one, 
too,  so  I  offered  her  the  old  negress,  but  she  would  not 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  4:9 

agree  to  that,  saying  she  should  be  afraid  of  her.  At  last, 
soon  after  one  o'clock,  as  I  was  looking  out  of  the  window, 
and  beginning  to  feel  a  little  impatient,  I  saw  the  two  sisters 
coming  with  the  old  negress.  I  begged  Mademoiselle  to 
go  down  with  me,  for  I  felt  too  shy  to  go  alone.  Mademoi 
selle  kindly  consented,  and  soon  found  means,  in  her  pleas 
ant  way,  of  putting  Marie  quite  at  her  ease.  With  Jeanne 
it  was  not  difficult,  as  she  is  much  less  shy  than  Marie.  I 
felt  more  embarrassed  than  either  of  them,  as  I  felt  I  was 
doing  the  honors  of  my  own  house.  I  gave  my  hands  to 
them,  and  asked  them  to  come  upstairs,  while  Mademoiselle 
asked  the  old  negress  if  she  would  prefer  to  stay  with  the 
little  girls,  or  .leave  them  to  us.  The  old  woman,  who 
speaks  so  queerly  that  neither  Mademoiselle  nor  I  can  un 
derstand  half  of  what  she  says,  preferred  to  go.  So  Marie 
said  to  her : 

"  Very  well,  my  good  Babet,  you  can  go,  since  you  prefer 
it.  You  must  take  good  care  of  grandpapa  while  we  are 
here."  When  the  old  negress  had  gone,  and  we  turned  to 
go  upstairs,  there  was  Berthe,  who  had  been  listening,  and 
called  out  to  me  from  above : 

"  Maguitte,  Maguitte,  now  you  see  I  have  nobody  at  all." 
I  was  much  disconcerted,  and  did  not  know  what  to  say. 
She  is  really  a  little  plague.  I  whispered  to  her  to  be 
quiet,  but  she  only  called  out  as  she  ran  off : 

"  And  there  is  Stephanie,  who  will  not  take  hers."  Marie 
asked : 

"  Are  those  your  little  sisters  ?  Ask  them  to  come  and 
speak  to  us."  I  was  obliged  to  run  after  Berthe,  and 
give  Stephanie  quite  a  lecture  before  they  would  come 
and  speak  to  our  visitors.  Little  sisters  are  certainly  very 
troublesome.  Marie  was  delighted  with  them,  and  Jeanne 
began  at  once  to  play  with  Berthe  as  if  they  had  been  the 


50  MAKGUEKITE   IN   FEANCE. 

same  age.  Berthe  was  very  proud  of  this,  but  Stephanie 
seemed  a  little  vexed,  until  they  all  began  to  look  at  pic 
tures,  when  Jeanne  gave  the  preference  to  Stephanie, 
who  could  explain  them  so  nicely.  Marie  and  I  talked 
together  very  pleasantly,  now  that  the  first  embarrassment 
was  over.  She  asked  me  first  to  tell  her  what  it  was  that 
Berthe  meant,  when  she  called  out  to  me  on  the  staircase. 
When  I  told  her  she  laughed  heartily,  which  made  me  very 
happy,  -for  she  always  looks  so  sad.  Then  I  went  on  to 
tell  her  some  of  Berthe's  funny  sayings,  which  seemed  to 
amuse  her  greatly.  She  told  me  in  return  something  of 
Jeanne's  droll  ways.  Marie  says  she  is  still  very  childish  and 
rather  heedless,  but  she  is  warm-hearted.  It  is  quite  as 
tonishing,  but  Marie  is  only  a  little  more  than  two  years 
older  than  I  am  (as  she  is  past  twelve  years  old),  and  yet 
I  feel  so  much  respect  for  her,  and  am  so  proud  to  have 
her  talk  to  me!  When  I  said  something  like  this  to 
her,  she  answered :  "  It  is  sorrow  which  has  made  me  seem 
older  than  I  am.  I  cannot  be  like  a  child  after  all  I  have 
suffered." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  I  said,  "  I  know  how  terrible  it  must  have 
been."  The  tears  came  into  our  eyes,  and  just  at  this  moment 
mamma  came  into  the  room.  She  kissed  Marie,  and  said 
that  after  all  she  had  heard  of  her,  she  felt  she  loved  her 
without  knowing  her.  "And  especially,"  she  added,  "  as 
my  little  Marguerite's  heart  was  given  to  you  from  the 
first."  It  was  so  good  of  mamma  to  say  this.  Marie 
seemed  very  shy  with  mamma,  but  you  could  see  by  her  eyes 
that  she  thought  mamma  was  very  kind.  Mamma  soon 
left  us,  telling  us  to  enjoy  ourselves  as  much  as  possible, 
at  the  same  Lime  she  kissed  me,  telling  Marie  she  hoped 
she  would  make  me  gentle  and  reasonable  like  herself. 
When  she  was  gone,  Marie  said : 


MARGUERITE   IN    FRANCE.  51 

"Ah,  how  lovely  your  mamma  is  !  I  am  sorry  I  did  not 
thank  her  better  for  her  kindness.  But  I  can  never  say  what 
I  feel,  and  then^you  know — "  She  stopped,  and  I  asked  : 

"  What,  Marie  ?  But  do  not  tell  me  if  it  troubles  you." 
She  hesitated,  and  then  replied : 

"  Oh,  if  you  knew  how  it  made  me  feel  to  see  a  mother 
kissing  her  child  !  "  and  she  burst  into  tears.  I  did  not 
know  what  to  say,  but  I  kissed  her  and  said  : 

"  Pray  do  not  cry,  Marie.  I  cannot  bear  to  see  you  sad 
here,  for  I  wanted  to  amuse  you.  Mamma  and  I  both  love 
you ;  and  I  am  sure  mamma  would  kiss  you,  too,  if  it 
would  give  you  any  pleasure."  Marie  recovered  herself 
and  said : 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  it  is  so  short  a  time  since  I  kissed 
my  dear  mamma,  and  yet  so  long,  since  I  can  never  do  it 
again." 

"  That  is  very  true,  dear  Marie,  but  you  will  surely  see 
her  again  in  heaven,  and  what  a  happiness  that  will  be  for 
you  !  Are  you  like  your  poor  mamma  ?  " 

"  Yes,  they  say  I  look  very  like  her,  while  Jeanne  is  like 
our  poor  papa." 

"  Ah,  yes,  but  your  father  had  lost  his  leg,  which  must 
have  grieved  you  very  much." 

"  He  was  so  used  to  it  that  we  did  not  think  of  it ;  but 
it  was  very  sad." 

"•I  think  so,  indeed !  I  should  be  glad  to  have  papa  fight 
so  well,  too,  for  he  is  brave  enough ;  but  I  should  not  want 
him  to  lose  a  leg." 

"  Fortunately,"  replied  Marie, "  there  is  no  war  now."  I 
said  I  was  very  glad,  as  we  were  so  soon  going  to  India, 
and  I  should  not  like  to  have  our  ship  attacked. 

"  You  are  going  to  India,"  said  Marie ;  "  then  you  will 
pass  the  island  of  Bourbon." 


52  MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

"  Yes,  they  say  so." 

"  How  delighted  you  will  be  with  our  beautiful  coun 
try."  , 

"  Is  it  beautiful,  Marie  ?     Is  it  at  all  like  Prance  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  find  it  so,  for  on  our  journey  from  Nantes  to 
Paris  I  could  not  see  a  tree  or  plant  like  those  we  have  at 
home ;  and  then  the  climate  is  so  different." 

"  Ah,  Marie,  how  I  wish  you  were  going  back  with  us ! 
"Would  you  not  like  it  ?  Have  you  any  relations  there  now  ? " 

"  Yes,  we  have  my  uncle  Adrian  there,  the  brother  of 
mamma,  who  loves  us  very  dearly.  But  grandpapa  has 
no  one  but  us,  and  then  it  would  be  so  sad  to  go  back  to 
Bourbon  now."  I  saw  Marie  was  thinking  of  her  mother, 
and  I  wanted  very  much  to  ask  her  something  about  which 
I  had  been  thinking,  so  I  said  : 

"  If  it  will  not  pain  you  too  much,  Marie,  will  you  answer 
me  one  question  '(  " 

"  Certainly  I  will." 

"  Well,"  I  said,  although  my  voice  trembled,  "  why  did 
your  poor  mamma  die  ?  Did  you  not  pray  with  all  your 
heart  to  God  when  you  saw  she  was  so  ill  ? "  As  I  feared, 
Marie  burst  into  tears  at  once ;  she  could  not  speak.  I  felt 
very  sorry  that  I  had  asked  the  question,  but  it  was  done. 
At  last  Marie  said  to  me : 

"  I  too  have  asked  that  so  often,  for  I  prayed  so  earnest 
ly  !  Through  the  long  nights  Avhen  I  was  watching  beside 
her  I  begged  God  to  cure  her  for  me." 

"  What !  you  did  not  go  to  bed  ?  How  tired  you  must 
have  been ! " 

"  I  did  not  think  of  it ;  but  what  grieved  me  more  than 
all,  Marguerite,  was  that,  in  spite  of  all  my  prayers,  mamma 
died !  I  have  never  said  this  to  any  one  else,  and  only 
to  you  because  you  asked  me." 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  53 

"  But,  Marie,  what  can  one  do?  Is  it,  then,  no  use  to  pray  ? 
But  Mademoiselle  would  say  it  was  very  wrong  to  say 
such  a  thing.  Listen,  Marie,  I  will  go  and  ask  her  ;  she  al 
ways  explains  what  puzzles  me." 

"  Oh  no,  Marguerite,  do  not  go,  I  beg  you,  while  I  am 
here." 

"  Well,  I  will  ask  her  afterwards,  and  tell  you  another 
time." 

"  But,  Marguerite,  I  am  sure  you  must  want  to  play,  in 
stead  of  talking  here." 

"  No,  indeed,  I  like  to  talk  better  than  to  play.  Ask 
Gustave  if  it  is  not  so." 

"  Is  your  brother's  name  Gustave  ? " 

"  Yes,  and  yours  ?  " — 

"  Is  Alberic." 

"  Ah,  what  a  nice  name  !     Does  he  tease  you  too  ? " 

"  Sometimes,  at  least  he  did  at  Bourbon  ;  but  since  my 
mother's  death  he  is  much  graver,  and  is  always  kind  to 
us." 

"  Well,  I  would  rather  have  Gustave  tease  me  always. 
How  often  do  you  see  your  brother  ?  " 

"  Every  fortnight." 

"  And  I  see  Gustave  every  day,  which  I  like  best.  How 
old  is  your  brother  ? " 

"  Sixteen." 

"  Oh,  he  is  big.     I  wish  I  could  see  him." 

"  I  hope  you  will  see  him  when  you  come  to  see  us." 

"  I  will  ask  mamma  to  let  me  come,  but  perhaps  it 
would  trouble  your  grandfather." 

"  Oh  no !  he  is  so  good,  that  he  likes  everything  that 
amuses  us."  After  this  we  went  to  look  for  the  little  ones, 
with  whom  we.played  a  grand  goose-game.  Then  we  went 
into  the  garden,  where  I  showed  Marie  the  greenhouse 


54:  MARGUERITE    IN   FRANCE. 

and  my  birds.  I  took  her  into  my  room  and  the  nursery. 
We  paid  Mademoiselle  a  little  visit,  and  then  went  to  play 
with  Bab}r.  It  was  strange,  but  the  little  fellow  feels  as  I 
do,  for  he  smiled  at  Marie  at  once,  but  would  not  go  to 
Jeanne.  Marie  petted  both  Stephanie  and  Berthe,  and 
said  how  pretty  Stephanie  was,  with  her  great  eyes,  soft 
as  those  of  a  gazelle.  It  is  true,  but  I  had  never  thought 
of  it.  "We  had  a  very  merry  time  at  lunch,  for  Jeanne 
made  us  all  laugh  with  her  funny  ways.  She  has  a  strange 
way  of  speaking,  which  they  say  is  like  the  Creoles,  and  I 
cannot  always  understand  what  she  means.  At  six  o'clock 
Babet  came  for  the  two  sisters.  I  wanted  very  much  to 
keep  them  for  dinner,  but  Marie  said  she  had  left  her 
grandfather  already  too  long  alone.  And  now  my  story  is 
done.  I  dare  say  that  Mademoiselle  will  find  a  good  many 
faults  in  it,  that  I  have  said  too  much  perhaps,  or  have 
repeated  the  same  words.  But,  dear  Mademoiselle,  I  assure 
you  I  have  done  it  as  well  as  I  could.  I  must  stop  now,  for 
my  hand  is  very  tired. 

Saturday,  November  15th. 

I  have  been  talking  to-day  to  Mademoiselle  about  what 
troubled  Marie  and  myself  so  much  yesterday.  She  said 
I  was  right  to  speak  to  her  about  it,  but  I  must  never  again 
think  that  "  it  is  no  use  to  pray."  I  told  her  first  how 
we  came  to  speak  of  these  things,  and  also  how  sad  Marie 
was.  She  replied : 

"  My  child,  it  is  always  of  use  to  pray ;  never  forget  that. 
Sometimes,  it  is  true,  God  does  not  grant  us  what  we  ask." 
I  interrupted  her  crying  : 

"  You  see,  then,  Mademoiselle  !  " 

"  Wait,"  she  replied.  "  He  does  not  always  grant  it ;  and 
why  ?  It  is  because  He  sees  things  differently  and  more 


MARGUERITE   IN  FRANCE.  55 

clearly  than  we  do.  Do  you,  not  understand  this,  Mar 
guerite  ? " 

"  Oh,  yes,  Mademoiselle." 

"  Then  again,  my  child,  we  often  are  deceiving  ourselves 
in  what  we  ask  for.  We  only  can  see  the  present,  but  God, 
who  knows  the  future  also,  will  not  always  grant  our 
prayers."  $ 

"  But,  Mademoiselle,  how  can  we  know  if  what  we  ask 
for  is  for  our  good  ? " 

"  Because  if  it  is  for  our  good,  God  will  grant  it;  if  not, 
He  will  refuse  it." 

"But,  Mademoiselle,  to  pray  for  the  health  of  one's 
mother  cannot  be  wrong." 

"  Certainly  not,  Marguerite.  It  is  a  duty,  and  at  the  same 
time  a  comfort." 

"  But  it  is  not  a  comfort,  if  God  refuses  it." 

"  Wait  a  'moment.  It  is  a  duty,  because  God  always 
wants  to  hear  all  that  we  wish,  since  He  is  truly  Our 
Father ;  and  it  is  a  comfort,  since  we  may  always  hope  that 
He  will  grant  what  we  ask.  But  suppose  it  happens  to  us 
as  to  this  poor  little  Marie,  that  God  does  not  grant  our 
prayer,  we  must  not  doubt  His  kindness,  or  think  He  does 
not  hear  us.  He  did  hear  Marie,  and  granted  her  prayer 
in  another  way.  What  did  she  want  ?  That  her  mother 
might  be  happy — but  here  on  earth  with  her  children." 

"  Yes,  Mademoiselle,  that  seems  natural." 

"  Yes,  but  we  must  remember  that  God's  thoughts  are 
not  as  our  thoughts,  arid  we  do  not  know  how  much  sorrow 
and  suffering  the  poor  lady  has  been  spared  by  dying 
now." 

"  But  God  could  have  made  her  happy,  Mademoiselle, 
had  He  chosen  to  do  so." 

"  And   can   you  say  that  He  has  not  done  BO,  Mar- 


56  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

guerite  ?  What  is  our  happiness  here  compared  to  that  in 
heaven  ? " 

"  That  is  true,  Mademoiselle,  and  I  tried  to  say  so  to 
Marie  myself.  But  it  is  very  natural  that  she  should  feel 
very  desolate  without  her  mother  ! " 

"  Indeed  it  is,  Marguerite ;  but  it  may  be  that  this  great 
sorrow  may  also  prove  a  happiness  for  Marie."  But  I  cried  : 

"  Oh  !  Mademoiselle,  that  is  too  much  to  say." 

"  No,  my  child ;  think  of  the  duties  of  love  which  Mario 
now  has  laid  upon  her  since  her  mother  has  been  taken  from 
her.  Think  of  the  blessing  she  can  be  to  her  poor  grand 
father,  the  guide  and  protector  to  her  little  sister.  In  for 
getting  herself  and  in  living  for  others  will  she  not  attain 
a  purer  happiness  than  mere  selfish  enjoyment  can  give?" 

"  Yes,  Mademoiselle,  but  it  seems  very  hard  to  me  for 
poor  Marie,  who  is  still  so  young,  only  twelve  years  old." 

"  Yes,  my  child,  but  do  you  not  believe  that  God  is  ready 
to  strengthen  and  support  her  ?  If  you  feel  for  her  such 
a  loving  pity,  how  must  God  regard  her,  whose  love  and 
tenderness  is  so  far  above  ours  ?  Do  you  remember  ask 
ing  me,  after  we  had  read  the  history  of  Joseph,  why  that 
poor  child  was  so  cruelly  treated?  And  yet  God  had 
great  things  in  store  for  him." 

"  But,  Mademoiselle,  Marie  cannot  be  minister  to  a  great 
king." 

"  She  will  become,  I  trust,  a  saint  in  heaven ;  is  not  that 
worth  more  ? " 

"  Ah,  much  more ;  but  I  do  not  want  her  to  go  at  once." 

"  It  may  be  long  before  she  is  called,  my  child,  but  now, 
Marguerite,  can  you  remember  to  tell  Marie  what  I  have 
said  ? " 

"  I  am  almost  afraid  not,  Mademoiselle ;  but  could  you 
not  tell  her  yourself  ?  " 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  57 

"  No,  my  child,  it  is  through  you  that  she  must  receive 
this  answer,  for  she  wished  it  to  be  so.  You  must  go,  then, 
and  write  down  what  I  have  said,  which  will  fix  it  more 
iirmly  in  your  own  memory,  and  then  when  you  see  Marie 
you  will  remember  more  distinctly."  After  this  I  left 
Mademoiselle,  and  went  to  write  my  journal.  I  feel  so 
anxious  to  see  Marie  again. 

Monday,  November  17th. 

I  was  at  Mass  yesterday,  with  mamma,  Mademoiselle, 
and  Gustave.  I  believe  I  behaved  pretty  well,  and  tried 
to  pray  without  thinking  of  other  things.  But  I  am  sorry 
to  say  that  I  have  been  vain  again,  as  I  was  the  day  I  put 
on  my  pretty  pink  dress  for  the  first  time.  This  time 
it  was  on  account  of  my  bonnet,  for  mamma  has  had  made 
for  me  such  a  pretty  new  one,  in  place  of  my  summer  bon 
net,  which  was  shabby.  It  makes  me  so  happy  to  wear 
anything  new.  I  want  every  one  to  notice  it.  One  would 
think  that  I  felt  it  a  merit  of  my  own  to  wear  pretty  things ! 
But  what  annoys  me  very  much  is  that  Gustave  always 
sees  when  I  feel  vain,  and  makes  all  sorts  of  remarks  to 
tease  me.  So  yesterday,  both  going  to  church  and  coming 
home,  he  kept  looking  at  my  bonnet  as  if  he  admired  it  so 
much,  when  really  he  does  not  at  all.  Then  he  would  say 
to  me :  "  Do  I  please  you  ?  Would  you  like  me  to  tell  all 
the  passers-by  that  you  have  on  a  new  bonnet  ?  But  your 
face  says  enough ;  you  put  on  such  coquettish  airs  !  "  And 
then  when  I  grew  angry  he  began  again  :  "  Ah,  you  think 
I  do  not  speak  loud  enough.  Well,  then,  gentlemen  and 
ladies,  do  look  how  well  dressed  my  sister  Marguerite  is  ! 
Pray  admire  her.  Is  not  this  white  plush  bonnet,  with  its 
pretty  bows,  perfectly  charming  ?  Do  not  notice  the  ugly 
face  she  is  making  just  now,  but  just  admire  the  bonnet." 


58  MAEGTJEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

It  was  really  too  bad,  and  I  was  so  angry  I  would  not  take  his 
arm.  I  was  so  afraid  that  some  one  would  hear  him,  and 
even  in  church  I  felt  he  was  looking  at  my  bonnet.  But 
what  teases  me  most  is  that  I  feel  what  he  says  is  partly 
true.  I  certainly  do  like  to  have  compliments,  either  for 
my  memory  or  for  what  I  say,  it  does  not  matter  what, 
but  it  pleases  me  very  muck  Yet  Mademoiselle  never  gives 
them  to  me,  but  when  she  says  to  me,  "  That  is  right,  Mar 
guerite,"  I  am  happier  than  with  any  other  praise.  And 
I  am  always  so  ashamed  of  being  vain  before  Mademoiselle, 
for  I  am  sure  she  always  notices  it. 

Wednesday,  November  19th. 

Yesterday  at  catechism  I  was  again  thinking  of  my  new 
bonnet,  but  I  tried  hard  not  to  do  so.  And  then  I  had  a 
great  humiliation,  which  took  down  my  pride  very  much. 
My  analysis  was  badly  done !  Mademoiselle  had  told  me 
so,  but  I  hoped  she  was  mistaken,  as  they  had  not  found  fault 
with  me  yet,  but  I  had  the  smallest  ticket.  I  did  not  feel 
ver^ proud  of  my  new  bonnet  then,  as  it  only  made  me 
more  noticed.  I  felt  so  ashamed  before  Marie,  who  had 
the  best  ticket,  although  I  felt  very  glad,  too,  that  she  should 
have  it.  But  Marie  is  much  larger  than  I  am,  indeed  she 
is  the  largest  in  the  class.  It  is  because  her  mother  want 
ed  the  two  sisters  to  prepare  together  for  their  first  com 
munion.  So  that  Marie  has  waited  for  Jeanne.  They  both 
hope  to  be  received  this  year,  and  Marie  tells  me  Jeanne  is 
doing  all  she  can  to  get  ready.  But  it  troubles  me  much  to 
think  that  I  shall  not  make  my  first  communion  with  Marie, 
for  it  requires  two  years  of  catechism  to  prepare  one,  and 
this  is  my  first  year.  I  shall  be  in  India  when  I  finish, 
and  I  wish  I  knew  if  they  do  the  same  there  as  here. 

After  catechism  I  went  out  with  Marie  and  Jeanne,  while 


MARGUERITE  IN  FRANCE.  59 

their  grandfather  talked  to  Mademoiselle.  He  asked  her 
if  I  could  come  next  Thursday,  to  spend  the  afternoon  and 
din«  with  his  grandchildren.  It  is  such  a  pity,  for  I  should 
have  enjoyed  it  so  much,  but  mamma  has  invited  Clara  to 
corne  and  see  me  on  that  day,  and  I  cannot  be  uncivil. 
Mademoiselle  thanked  M.  de  Laval,  and  said  she  hoped  it 
could  be  another  day,  but  Marie  and  I  are  so  disappointed  ! 
I  wanted  so  much  to  tell  her  about  my  conversation  with 
Mademoiselle,  but  I  could  not  do  so  in  the  street,  and  I  am 
sure  Marie  wants  to  hear  what  I  have  to  tell. 

Friday,  November  21st. 

Mamma  has  had  a  letter  at  last  from  papa,  which  tells  us, 
he  will  be  home  again  on  Sunday.  It  has  made  us  all  so 
happy  to  hear  this ;  even  Baby  laughed  as  if  he  understood 
it.  Clara  spent  the  day  with  me  yesterday,  and  we  had 
a  very  pleasant  time,  although  I  did  not  feel  quite,  so  glad 
to  see  her  as  usual.  I  do  riot  like  her  so  much  as  Marie, 
who  is  so  simple,  while  Clara  has  all  sorts  of  airs.  She 
always  acts  as  if  she  were  a  young  lady,  although  she  is  only 
two  years  older  than  I,  and  then  she  is  so  vain  !  Because  her 
father  is  deputy  she  thinks  she  is  above  every  one  else, 
and  she  is  so  proud  because  her  mother  is  so  rich.  I  do  not 
like  her  mother ;  she  is  more  disagreeable  than  Clara.  She 
speaks  so  strangely  about  Mile.  Levins,  so  differently  from 
the  way  mamma  speaks  about  Mademoiselle.  Mme.  de 
Baldi  brought  Clara  herself,  and  made  mamma  a  little  visit 
while  Clara  and  I  were  still  in  the  parlor.  As  Mme.  d6 
Baldi  went  away,  she  said  to  her  daughter : 

"  When  do  you  want  me  to  send  your  maid  for  you  ? " 
"  When  you  choose,  mamma ;  but  if  you  were  to  send 
Mademoiselle  instead,  and  in  good  time,  I  could  go  to  the 
Champs- Ely  sees  before  coming  home." 


60  MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

"  I  promised  to  give  her  this  afternoon ;  but  it  is  no  mat 
ter  ;  she  must  manage  to  come  home  earlier."" 

"Mamma,"  replied  Clara,  "  you  had  better  not  change 
it,  for  you  promised  her  this  holiday  last  week." 

"  No,  no,  my  child,  do  not  trouble  yourself.  We  cannot 
make  slaves  of  ourselves  to  these  people,  can  we,madame  1 " 
But  mamma  said,  I  thought  very  coldly  : 

"  It  is,  however,  very  pleasant  to  try  and  make  their  lives 
more  agreeable."  «, 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  M me.  de  Baldi, "  but  you  are  an  exception. 
You  have  a  treasure,  who  was  also  an  intimate  friend.  But 
I  am  not  bound  by  such  considerations,  and  between  our 
selves  I  will  say  I  like  it  better."  Mamma  said  nothing,  so 
Mme.  de  Baldi  went  away,  and  Clara  and  I  went  to  play  with 
the  children.  I  was  very  tired  in  the  evening,  so  I  went 
to  bed  early. 

Monday,  November  SAih. 

How  happy  I  was  yesterday,  and  am  still  to-day,  for  my 
dear  papa  has  come  home.  It  seemed  so  long  since  we  had. 
seen  him.  When  he  arrived  after  dinner,  we  almost  stilled 
him  with  kisses  ;  but  I  do  not  think  he  was  displeased. 
Gustave  was  beside  him,  helping  take  the  parcels  out  of 
the  carriage.  Stephanie  had  her  arms  around  his  neck. 
Berthe  climbed  up  on  him  like  a  cat,  while  I  pulled  his 
hands  until  he  stooped  down  to  kiss  me.  He  tried  to  look 
a  little  stern  to  quiet  us,  but  we  were  too  happy  to  be  fright 
ened.  Even  mamma  could  not  get  near  him.  At  last  we 
took  him  in  to  dinner,  and  then  he  told  us  all  about  his  jour 
ney,  or  at  least  he  answered  our  questions,  for  papa  never 
talks  a  great  deal.  At  last  he  gave  each  of  us  a  little  pres 
ent.  Gustave  had  a  little  cane  made  of  wood  which  comes 
from  a  great  distance,  and  I  had  a  little  box  carved  by  the 
convicts.  1  do  not  like  convicts  very  much,  but  my  box 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  61 

is  lovely.  Stephanie  had  a  pretty  little  cup  made  from  a 
cocoanut,  and  Berthe  a  beautiful  toy.  Even  Baby  had 
something — a  jingling  rattle.  Mamma  had  a  beautiful 
box,  ornamented  with  splendid  shells,  and  Mademoiselle  a 
very  pretty  one  too.  We  were  all  delighted — even  Jose 
phine,  to  whom  papa  brought  a  little  basket.  How  good 
he  was  to  remember  everybody ! 

Wednesday,  November  2Qtk. 

It  was  arranged  yesterday  after  catechism  that  I  should 
go  on  Thursday  to  see  Marie,  but  not  to  stay  to  dinner,  as 
mamma  did  not  wish  it.  Marie  asked  Stephanie,  and 
Berthe  too,  and  I  am  glad,  as  they  can  play  with  Jeanne, 
while  I  talk  as  I  like  with  Marie.  Still  it  will  be  a  trouble 
to  look  after  them.  Poor  Baby  cannot  go  on  these  expe 
ditions,  for  he  cannot  walk  yet.  But  he  begins  to  stand 
quite  well,  when  you  take  his  two  little  hands,  and  some 
times  he  likes  standing  so  much  he  does  not  want  to  sit 
down.  I  wonder  when  he  will  walk.  I  had  some  bad  marks 
yesterday.  I  do  not  know  how  it  is,  but  of  late  I  have  not 
worked  so  well,  and  at  the  end  of  this  week  Mademoiselle 
counts  the  marks  for  the  month  !  I  must  try  to  do  better. 

Friday,  November  28th. 

I  am  so  sorry  that  yesterday  is  over,  but  it  will  be  a  lit 
tle  comfort  to  write  about  it.  In  the  first  place,  I  said  my 
lessons  better  in  the  morning,  which  gave  me  better  marks. 
After  breakfast  Josephine  dressed  us  all  three,  and 
mamma  allowed  Stephanie  and  Berthe  to  go  with  me,  on 
condition  that  Josephine  should  go  with  us  and  stay,  as 
she  was  afraid  that  the  children  would  make  too  much 
noise  for  the  poor  grandpapa.  And  I  think  she  was  quite 
right.  Mademoiselle  went  with  us,  too,  to  present  us 
to  M.  de  Laval.  He  was  very  kind,  and  so  very  polite  to 


62  MARGUERITE   IN  FRANCE.     * 

Mademoiselle,  and  even  to  me.  Mademoiselle  says  he  has 
the  old  French  politeness.  It  seems  that  the  new  is  not  so 
polite,  which  is  a  pity,  for  the  old  is  very  nice.  They  took 
us  into  the  drawing-room,  where  the  furniture  is  quite 
strange  looking,  not  at  all  like  what  mamma  and  Mine,  de 
Baldi  have,  because  it  is  very  old.  Then  there  were  a 
great  many  portraits  of  people  dressed  as  you  see  them 
at  the  Carnival,  like  lords  and  ladies.  The  carpets  and 
curtains  were  much  worn,  so  that  I  dare  say  Clara  would 
have  laughed  at  them,  but  I  looked  at  them  with  respect. 
What  impressed  me  most  was  to  see  the  good  old  grand 
papa  beside  the  two  little  girls  in  black,  and  no  father  or 
mother.  It  brought  the  tears  to  my  eyes.  And  Mademoi 
selle  felt  it  too. 

M.  de  Laval  thanked  Mademoiselle  many  times  for 
bringing  us  to  see  his  grandchildren,  and  Mademoiselle 
said  that  mamma  was  afraid  that  we  should  weary  him.  He 
replied :  "  Oh,  certainly  not,  Mademoiselle.  I  am  always  so 
glad  when  I  see  my  little  girls  happy,  and  my  Marie  al 
ready  loves  this  pretty  child  so  much."  He  looked  at  me 
as  he  spoke,  and  I  thought  how  polite  he  was  to  call  me 
pretty,  but  I  think  he  is  mistaken  in  say  ing.  so.  He  looked 
for  some  sugarLplums  for  the  children,  and  was  so  kind 
that  he  quite  won  Berthe's  heart,  so  that  in  speaking  of 
him  at  home  she  exclaimed,  "  I  think  he  is  such  a  nice 
old  gentleman  !  "  She  might  have  boasted  of  making  a  fine 
uproar  for  him,  for  she  grew  so  excited  in  playing  with 
Jeanne  that  the  poor  grandpapa  had  to  take  refuge  in  his 
own  room.  Marie  carried  me  off  to  her  room,  while  the 
little  ones  stayed  to  play  in  the  dining-room,  which  was 
large,  with  Josephine  to  watch  them.  I  looked  at  all 
Marie's  pretty  things,  and  she  had  a  great  many  which  she 
had  brought  from  Bourbon — necklaces  of  sandal-wood,  and 


MAKGUEEITE   IN   FKANCE.  63 

such  pretty  seeds  which  they  call  Job's  Tears,  and  which 
can  be  strung  like  beads.  Marie  gave  me  some  of  them. 
Besides  these  she  had  straw  mats,  and  all  sorts  of  things 
made  of  cocoanut,  shells,  and  coral.  I  could  have  spent 
the  day  looking  at  them.  I  like  Marie's  room  so  much  ;  it 
is  simple,  but  very  pretty.  There  are  blue  curtains  at  the 
windows  and  around  Marie's  and  Jeanne's  beds,  for  the 
two  sisters  sleep  in  little  beds,  side  by  side.  At  the  foot  of 
the  bed  there  is  a  crucifix,  which  is  Marie's,  and  belonged 
to  her  mother.  At  each  side  of  the  fireplace  there  are 
medallions  with  hair  in  them,  and  Marie  said:  "  It  is  papa's 
and  mamma's."  Poor  Marie !  it  is  sad,  but  sweet,  to  have 
such  things  before  her  every  day.  She  said  to  me:  "  You 
asked  the  other  day  if  I  looked  like  mamma.  I  will  show 
you  her  portrait,  which  is  exactly  like  her."  She  opened  a 
drawer  and  took  out  a  pretty  red  jewel-box,  with  a  cipher 
on  it,  and  from  this  she  took  a  beautiful  gold  bracelet.  It 
had  a  medallion,  upon  which  was  painted  the  portrait  of 
Marie's  mother.  Oh,  how  pretty  she  must  have  been,  with 
large,  beautiful  eyes,  dark,  but  not  black,  and  long,  very 
black  lashes.  Her  face  was  rather  thin  and  pale,  with  a 
lovely  little  mouth,  which  smiled  sweetly,  just  as  Marie  does. 
Her  beautiful  hair  was  arranged  so  prettily,  and  her  com 
plexion  was  brown,  but  very  clear.  As  I  looked  at  this 
lovely  face,  I  felt  so  grieved  for  Marie  that  I  began  to  sob, 
and  Marie,  too,  while  she  said :  "  How  good  you  are  to 
weep  with  me." 

Suddenly  I  thought  it  would  be  kinder  to  try  and  com 
fort  Marie,  so  I  began  to  tell  her  what  Mademoiselle  had 
said  to  me.  Marie  listened  attentively,  and  said  it  was  all 
very  true. 

"  But  after  all,  Marguerite,"  she  said  sadly,  "  it  does  not 
give  me  back  my  mother."  I  said  all  I  could  to  console 


64  MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

her,  and  after  a  few  moments  she  replied  :  "  You  are  right, 
Marguerite,  and  it  was  very  kind  of  you  to  remember  so 
nicely  what  Mademoiselle  Yalmy  said.  You  must  tell  her 
that  I  will  try  to  be  more  reasonable  and  more  submissive 
to  God's  will." 

She  still  looked  very  sad,  but  of  course  I  could  not  ex 
pect  her  grief  to  pass  away  at  once.  She  begged  me  to 
pray  for  her,  which  I  shall  certainly  do  with  all  my  heart. 
After  she  had  put  away  her  precious  portrait,  she  showed 
me  some  albums,  in  which  were  drawings  taken  by  her 
father  in  Bourbon.  He  must  have  drawn  very  well,  and 
I  was  delighted  to  see  pictures  of  that  beautiful  country. 
I  am  afraid  it  will  not  be  as  pleasant  in  India.  Marie  and 
I  both  talked  a  long  time  about  our  voyage  and  about 
Bourbon. 

Babet  came  to  call  us  to  lunch,  for  she  always  waits  on 
her  little  mistresses.  Marie  speaks  of  her  so  often  in  talk 
ing  to  me,  that  I  feel  as  if  I  really  knew  her,  and  yet  I 
can  hardly  understand  what  she  says.  Marie  often  has 

«/  «/ 

to  explain  her  meanings,  which  is  not  pleasant.  I  found 
Berthe  had  made  friends  with  her  at  once,  was  prattling  to 
her  like  a  little  parrot,  and  pulling  her  about  everywhere, 
which  made  Babet  laugh  and  show  her  great  white  teeth, 
shining  out  of  her  black  face.  This  amused  Berthe  great 
ly,  so  that  she  called  out  to  me  as  I  came  in :  "  See,  Ma- 
guitte,  you  did  very  well  to  give  her  to  me."  And  then 
,  Babet  was  delighted.  Stephanie  and  Jeanne  seemed  to  be 
enjoying  themselves  too.  We  sat  down  to  table,  where 
there  were  cakes,  fruit,  and  flowers.  ^1  thought  it  looked  too 
pretty  for  us  children.  Just  as  we  were  beginning,  M.  de 
Laval  came  in,  and  said  he  wished  to  do  the  honors  for  us 
himself.  He  was  so  very  polite  and  ceremonious  that  I  felt 
quite  frightened  and  could  eat  very  little,  but  Stephanie 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  65 

and  Berthe  enjoyed  everything.  After  lunch  M.  de  Laval 
took  us  into  the  parlor  where  he  had  a  lottery  for  us.  How 
pleasant  it  was,  and  I  drew  all  sorts  of  pretty  things! 
Amongst  the  rest  a  little  seal,  which  is  a  love,  and  which 
I  shall  use  for  the  letters  I  shall  write  from  India  to  Gus- 
tave  and  Marie,  for  Marie  has  promised  to  write  to  me. 
Stephanie  and  Berthe  had  some  pretty  toys,  while  Marie 
and  Jeanne  had  hardly  anything.  I  wonder  what  I  can 
give  them  in  return.  I  must  find  something.  Soon  after 
five  Josephine  said  it  was  time  to  go ;  so  we  put  on  our 
hats  and  coats,  although  Berthe  was  very  unwilling  at  first 
to  get  ready.  In  the  evening  I  remembered  Marie  in  my 
prayers,  and  shall  do  so  every  day. 

Monday,  December  \st. 

Fortunately  I  am  quite  used  to  my  bonnet  now,  so  that 
I  did  not  feel  vain  of  it  at  all  yesterday  when  I  went  to 
church.  To  be  sure  I  had  a  pair  of  new  shoes,  but  then 
they  are  not  so  pretty  and  do  not  show  much,  so  I  did  not 
think  of  them.  Gnstave  was  not  there  to  tease  me,  for 
he  had  gone  to  Versailles  with  papa.  "VVe  were  very 
sorry  not  to  have  papa  go  to  church  with  us,  and  when 
mamma  said  so  to  him,  he  promised  to  go  next  Sunday. 
It  is  very  tiresome  not  to  have  dear  papa  go  to  church 
with  us,  but  he  does  go  sometimes,  and  Clara  says  her 
father  never  goes.  When  I  repeated  this  to  Mademoi 
selle,  she  said  that  little  girls  must  not  judge  their 
parents,  who  might  have  reasons  for  what  they  did  which 
we  could  not  understand.  We  ought  only  to  pray  for 
them.  And  I  do,  every  night  and  morning.  I  thought,  as 
Gustave  was  away,  that  I  should  be  good  all  day,  but  I  was 
not  at  all,  but,  on  the  contrary,  very  cross  to  my  little 
sisters.  First  they  wanted  me  to  play  the  goose-game,  but 


66  MARGUERITE   IN  FRANCE. 

I  said  no,  it  did  not  amuse  me.  Then  they  said  they 
would  play  whatever  I  liked,  so  I  proposed  a  lottery. 
When  they  asked  me  what  I  would  put  in  it,  I  said  I 
should  put  nothing,  but  they  could  put  in  the  box  of  bon 
bons  they  had  when  Cecile's  little  brother  was  baptized. 
Stephanie  consented,  but  Berthe  began  to  grumble  at 
once  and  say,  "  But,  Maguitte,  then  I  shall  gain  nothing, 
for  the  bonbons  are  mine  now."  It  was  very  true,  but  I 
grew  angry  and  called  her  a  little  fool,  and  little  gour- 
mande,  and  tried  to  take  the  box  away  from  her.  She 
struggled,  and  I  gave  her  a  great  slap  to  make  her  give  it 
up.  I  felt  sorry  at  once  when  I  saw  how  red  her  cheek 
was,  but  why  will  she  act  like  a  little  fury  ?  Mademoi 
selle  came  out  of  her  room,  and  said  that  as  I  was  as 
unreasonable  as  Berthe,  we  must  stop  playing,  and  she 
took  away  the  cards.  Stephanie  said  to  me,  "  There,  you 
see,  Marguerite,  I  have  done  nothing,  and  yet  I  am  punished 
too."  When  my  anger  had  cooled  a  little,  I  saw  that  it 
was  indeed  all  rny  fault,  and  that  I  ought  to  make  some 
amends  to  Stephanie,  so  I  told  her  she  could  have  my 
battledoor  and  shuttlecock  to  play  with,  which  pleased  her 
very  much.  Berthe  soon  consoled  herself  by  eating  her 
sugar-plums,  and,  indeed,  when  she  saw  I  looked  unhappy, 
she  came  and  put  one  in  my  mouth.  She  is  a  good- 
hearted  little  thing.  But  I  felt  very  unhappy  all  the  rest 
of  the  day,  and  in  the  evening,  when  I  made  my  self- 
examination,  as  Mademoiselle  had  taught  me,  I  felt  still 
worse.  When  I  asked  myself,  "  Have  you  been  naughty 
to-day  ?  "  I  had  to  say  "  Yes ; "  and  then,  "  How  have  you 
been  naughty,  have  you  teased  any  one  ? "  "  Yes."  "  But 
why  ? "  "  Because  I  was  greedy,"  which  was  the  truth,  for  I 
am  very  fond  of  bonbons.  "  And  why  did  you  strike 
your  little  sister  ? "  "  Because  I  was  angry."  "  Well,  then, 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  67 

yon  see,  it  is  always  this  wicked  anger  which  comes  back. 
And  yet  you  remember  how  you  promised  God  to  do 
better."  Oh,  how  miserable  it  is !  I  do  not  know  when  I 
shall  ever  be  good ! 

Tuesday,  December  3d 

Yesterday  evening  Mademoiselle  counted  my  marks  for 
the  last  month,  and  I  am  ashamed  to  say  I  had  only  five 
more  good  than  bad  marks,  so  I  have  only  gained  jive 
sous  for  my  poor  people.  I  wanted  so  much  to  buy  a 
dress  for  the  poor  Mariette,  but  I  can  never  do  it  with 
five  sous,  or  even  if  Stephanie  and  Berthe  give  me  their 
money,  for  they  have  not  much  either.  Perhaps  Gustave 
will  have  more,  and  yet  I  shall  not  like  it  if  he  has  done 
so  much  better  than  I.  I  have  -been  very  lazy  this  past 
month.  I  could  see  it  myself.  Even  when  Mademoiselle 
urged  me  I  did  not  care  to  work.  But  I  must  try  and  do 
better  now,  so  that  on  New  Year  I  can  have  something  to 
give  presents  to  the  poor  people.  To-day  I  had  excellent 
marks. 

Wednesday,  December,  3d. 

Yesterday  evening  Gustave  was  very  nice  to  me.  Papa 
was  so  pleased  with  his  report  for  last  month  that  he 
gave  him  five  francs,  which  was  very  different  from  me. 
I  was  ashamed  to  tell  Gustave  that  I  had  only  five  sous, 
and  yet  I  wanted  so  much  to  ask  him  for  some  money  for 
the  poor,  who  would  otherwise  suffer  by  my  idleness.  I 
was  afraid  he  would  tease  me,  as  he  often  does ;  but  at 
last  I  thought  it  was  very  cowardly  not  to  acknowledge 
it,  so  I  said  : 

"  You  ought  to  be  very  happy,  Gustave,  you  have 
studied  so  well."  He  began  to  laugh,  and  said  in  a  scoff 
ing  way : 


68  MARGUERITE  IN   FRANCE. 

"  Pray,  how  much  did  you  do  ?"  But  when  he  saw  the 
tears  in  my  eyes,  he  stopped  and  said  : 

"  You  will  do  better  this  month." 

"  Yes,"  I  replied,  "  but  in  the  meantime  the  poor  have 
only  five  soils." 

"  That  is  not  much,  but  if  you  like  I  will  give  you 
something  for  them." 

"  That  was  just  what  I  wanted  to  ask  you." 

"  Well,  how  much  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  whatever  you  choose  to  give." 

"  Well,  I  promise  you  fourteen  sous."  Gustave  is  really 
very  generous,  which  makes  me  willing  to  pardon  him 
for  teasing  me. 

Friday,  December  5th. 

I  had  a  great  disappointment  for  my  Thursday.  Papa  had 
promised  to  take  me  with  him  to  Saint  Germain,  where  he 
was  going  to  make  a  visit  to  a  friend,  who  had  a  beautiful 
place  there.  I  felt  so  happy  at  the  idea  of  getting  away 
from  this  tiresome  Paris,  where  one  sees  the  same  thing 
every  day,  and  where  one  can  hardly  move  without  being 
crushed.  I  could  hardly  sleep  on  Wednesday  night  after 
papa  told  me,  for  I  was  so  happy.  But  alas  !  in  the  morn 
ing  I  looked  out  to  see  such  a  black  sky  that  one  might 
have  thought  it  was  going  to  pour  down  ink  instead  of 
snow,  which  is  so  white.  I  asked  Josephine  what  she 
thought  of  the  weather  ;  but  when  she  said  she  thought  it 
would  storm,  I  told  her  she  did  not  know  anything  about 
it.  This  made  her  angry,  and  she  began  to  scold  me,  and 
I  retorted,  so  that  the  moment  I  was  dressed  I  ran  away  from 
her,  feeling  very  cross.  I  went  to  find  Mademoiselle,  who 
said  as  soon  as  I  came  in  that  she  saw  there  were  clouds 
on  my  face,  as  well  as  in  the  sky.  I  replied :  "  But  it  is  just 
that,  Mademoiselle ;  it  is  because  the  sky  has  clouds  that  I 


MAKGTJEKITE   IN   FKANCE.  69 

have  them."  Then  she  asked  me  if  my  clouds  would  pro 
duce  anything  good,  as  those  in  the  sky  would.  I  replied 
"  That  I  did  not  see  what  good  those  could  do,  except  to  dis 
appoint  me."  Mademoiselle  looked  very  grave,  and  said  I 
ought  not  to  speak  so  of  what  God  had  ordered. 

"  He  does  not  wish  to  punish  you,  my  child,  but  to  try  you. 
When  God  tries  us  it  is  always  for  our  good.  JSTow  He  is 
trying  you  according  to  your  little  strength,  for  you  hoped 
to-day  to  have  a  pleasant  day  at  Saint  Germain,  which  the 
weather  will  prevent." 

"  Ah,  Mademoiselle,  do  not  say  so.  I  am  sure  the  sky  is 
beginning  to  clear." 

"  I  do  not  think  so,  Marguerite,  and  so  I  speak  in  case 
your  pleasure  should  be  spoiled.  This  is  a  trial  for  you, 
and  if  you  submit  to  it  pleasantly  God  will  in  His  kindness 
remember  it." 

«  And  if  I  do  not  submit  ?  " 

"  You  will  still  have  the  trial,  and  you  will  lose  the 
merit  of  submission." 

"  Well,  it  is  better  to  submit,  Mademoiselle,  but  it  is  hard 
to  do  so,  for  I  should  have  had  such  a  pleasant  time.  Still, 
I  give  it  up.  But  do  you  think,  Mademoiselle,  that  if  it 
clears  I  could  still  go  to  Saint  Germain  ?  Because,  you 
Bee,  then  I  should  already  have  had  the  merit  of  accepting 
the  trial  and — " 

"  And  then  you  would  have  the  pleasure  of  the  expedi 
tion  afterwards !  "  replied  Mademoiselle,  smiling.  "  Ah,  lit 
tle  rogue,  I  see  there  is  a  great  deal  of  hope  in  your  sub 
mission  !  "  It  was  true  enough,  but  I  gained  no  reward  save 
the  merit  of  giving  up,  and  I  did  not  do  that  as  pleasantly  as 
I  should,  for  I  felt  cross  all  the  morning.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  Mademoiselle,  who  encouraged  me,  I  should  have  had 
poor  marks,  too,  for  my  lessons.  After  breakfast  the  snow 


70  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.        , 

began  to  fall  so  fast  that  even  papa  thought  he  would  riot 
go ;  but  as  his  friend  was  expecting  him  he  felt  obliged  to 
go.  I  felt  like  crying  when  I  saw  him  get  into  the  car 
riage  without  me;  but  Mademoiselle  took  me  into  her  room, 
and  talked  so  kindly  and  pleasantly  to  me,  that  I  was  soon 
much  happier.  It  always  makes  me  happy  to  be  with  her. 
I  was  with  mamma,  too,  a  good  while,  as  she  could  not  go 
out  either.  After  all,  the  horrid  snow  gave  me  this  pleasure, 
which  I  cannot  have  very  often,  as  my  lessons  keep  me  so 
busy.  So  my  Thursday  was  not  quite  without  enjoymen 

Monday,  December  8th. 

How  tiresome  it  is  that  I  am  so  fond'  of  domineering ! 
But  still  it  makes  me  very  angry  to  have  any  one  domineer 
over  me.  Yesterday  Mademoiselle  showed  me  how  wrong 
I  was,  for  when  we  were  play  ing*  Gustave  wanted  us  to  do 
what  he  liked,  without  stopping  to  ask  if  we  were  pleased. 
This  made  me  angry,  but  fortunately  papa  called  Gustave 
away  at  this  moment  to  take  a  walk  with  him.  So  I  soon 
felt  better,  and  could  play  as  I  liked.  I  began  a  game  of 
loto,  which  did  not  amuse  the  children  very  much,  as  I  was 
obliged  to  mark  for  all  of  us,  which  was  tiresome.  But 
as  I  had  begun  it  I  chose  to  finish  it,  and  the  consequence 
was  a  dispute.  Mademoiselle  had  to  interfere,  and  she 
told  me  that  I  was  tyrannizing  over  the  children  in  the 
same  way  that  I  complained  of  Gustave  doing  to  me. 
Mademoiselle  was  right,  for  when  I  did  not  like  to  plav 
cards  with  Gustave,  I  had  forced  the  children  almost  im 
mediately  to  play  loto  wdth  me.  It  is,  however,  because  it 
bores  me  to  do  what  Gustave  likes,  while  it  amuses  me  to 
do  what  I  like  myself. 

•Mademoiselle  says  that  this  is  natural  certainly,  but  that 
is  no  reason  why  I  should  give  way  to  such  a  feeling ;  on 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  71 

the  contrary,  that  I  should  ask  for  strength  to  conquer  it. 
It  seems  very  difficult  to  do  so  now,  but  I  hope  that  after 
my  first  communion  I  shall  be  better.  But  in  the  mean 
time,  if  I  do  not  try,  they  will  not  receive  me.  So  I  must 
ask  God  at  once  to  help  me.  Yesterday  evening  mamma 
gave  us  a  great  lottery-party,  and  I  had  some  chocolate 
bonbons  for  my  prize,  which  were  delicious.  A  good 
friend  of  papa,  M.  Guer,  came  to  see  us,  and  played  with 
us  so  nicely. 

Wednesday,  December  1.0th. 

Yesterday  at  catechism  I  had  a  great  disappointment, 
for  Marie  and  Jeanne  were  not  there.  It  was  sad  enough 
to  see  their  empty  places,  and  besides  I  had  to  sit  next  a  little 
girl  whom  I  do  not  like  at  all.  She  is  named  Aglae  Buff  art. 
She  is  so  affected,  and  she  laughed  when  I  hesitated  in  say 
ing  my  catechism.  I  could  not  imagine  why  Marie  was 
not  there,  for  I  knew  she  would  not  like  to  miss  this  lesson, 
and  she  would  not  know  what  we  were  to  learn  next  time. 
That  little  Aglae  tried-to  talk  to  me,  which  annoyed  me  very 
much,  as  they  might  have  marked  me  for  bad  behavior.  I 
hope  I  shall  not  sit  next  her  on  Tuesday.  I  had  the  second 
ticket  for  my  analysis.  When  shall  I  get  the  first? 

Friday,  December  12th. 

I  feel  very  unhappy,  for  we  have  heard  that  Marie's  and 
Jeanne's  grandpapa  is  very,  very  ill.  Mamma  was  kind 
enough  to  go  to  M.  de  Laval's  yesterday,  when  she  saw 
how  worried  I  was.  She  heard  from  the  porter  that  M. 
de  Laval  had  been  ill  for  a  week,  and  that  his  physician 
was  anxious  about  him.  Mamma  wanted  very  much  to 
see  Marie,  but  she  was  afraid  of  disturbing  her,  as  they 
said  she  did  not  leave  her  grandpapa,  so  mamma  only  left 
her  card.  She  has  promised  me  to  send  and  inquire  after 


72  MAEGUEEITE   IN  FRANCE. 

M.  de  Laval  again  to-day.      Poor  Marie,  she  is  indeed 
tried ! 

Saturday,  December  I3tk. 

Ah,  well,  the  poor  grandpapa  is  worse,  and  I  cannot  help 
thinking  of  poor  Marie  all  the  time.  I  am  afraid  she  is  up 
all  night  now,  as  she  was  with  her  poor  mother.  She  must 
feel  so  anxious,  too,  and  Jeanne  cannot  help  her  very  much, 
although  she,  too,  loves  her  grandpapa.  Mademoiselle  has 
promised  that  we  shall  go  ourselves  to  make  inquiries,  for 
we  only  have  had  a  message  through  a  servant.  I  can 
hardly  study  my  lessons,  for  my  thoughts  are  always  going 
off  to  Marie  and  poor  M.  de  LavaL 

Monday,  December  15th. 

I  have  some  very  sad  things  to  tell,  and  yet  I  have  had 
one  comfort,  for  I  have  seen  Marie.  On  Saturday,  during 
our  walk,  Mademoiselle  and  I  stopped  to  inquire  after  M. 
de  Laval.  We  learned  that  his  illness  was  inflammation 
of  the  lungs,  and  they  hardly  hoped  to  save  him.  This 
gave  me  such  a  shock  that  I  grew  very  pale,  and  began  to 
cry,  so  Mademoiselle  took  me  away,  after  asking  the  por 
ter  to  tell  Marie  we  had  called  and  felt  much  distressed. 
When  I  had  recovered  a  little,  Mademoiselle  scolded  me 
gently  for  not  having  more  command  over  myself. 

"But,  Mademoiselle,"  I  cried,  "  if  I  could  do  anything 
else  for  Marie  it  would  make  me  so  much  happier,  and 
would  keep  me  from  crying." 

"  I  do  not  know  that,  Marguerite.  If  you  were,  for  in 
stance,  to  be  with  Marie,  and  saw  that  her  grandpapa  was 
dying,  what  would  you  do  ? " 

"  Oh,  I  should  cry,  Mademoiselle,  for  it  makes  me  shud 
der  to  think  of  it." 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  73 

"  Then  you  would  not  be  able  to  help  -Marie.  Tour  tears 
would  be  a  comfort  to  yourself,  but  a  distress  to  her." 

"  But,  Mademoiselle,  can  one  prevent  one's  self  from  cry 
ing?" 

"  Tes,  my  child,  and  at  times  it  is  very  necessary  to  do 
so,-  if  we  want  to  be  of  use  to  others." 

"  Ah,  Mademoiselle,  how  I  wish  you  could  go  to  Marie 
now !  " 

"  Both  your  mamma  and  I  feel  we  should  be  only  too 
glad  to  be  near  her  ;  but  we  feel  we. are  too  much  like  stran 
gers  to  intrude  upon  her." 

"  Oh,  what  a  pity  !  " 

"  But,  no  doubt,  Marie  has  some  relative  or  friend  with 
her,  who  can  comfort  her  at  such  a  time." 

"  I  think  not,  Mademoiselle,  for  none  of  Marie's  mother's 
relatives  are  in  France,  and  she  told  me  that  M.  de  Laval 
had  no  family  now,  no  one  but  his  grandchildren." 
.  "  Well,  my  child,  we  will  see ;  perhaps  we  shall  be  able 
to  help  these  poor  little  girls  in  their  trouble." 

"  Oh,  I  hope  so  ;  it  would  make  me  so  much  happier."  I 
felt  better  after  this,  and  could  smile  and  speak  pleasantly 
when  we  met  Cecile  Dufon. 

Yesterday,  after  high  mass,  mamma,  Mademoiselle,  and 
I  w*ent  to  inquire  after  M.  de  Laval.  The  porter  told  us 
that  Marie  had  told  him  to  thank  us  for  our  visit,  and  he 
added  that  he  thought  she  felt  very  anxious.  Mamma 
asked  him  some  questions,  and  he  told  her  that  Marie  was 
always  with  her  grandfather,  who  did  not  want  any  one 
else  to  nurse  him.  "  Indeed,  she  is  an  angel,  madame,"  he 
said.  As  we  were  talking  Babet  came  down-stairs,  saying 
that  Jeanne  had  seen  us  from  the  window,  and  having  told 
Marie,  she  had  sent  Babet  down  to  thank  us  for  our  kind 
ness.  Mamma  told  Babet  that  the  only  reason  we  did  not 


74:  MAKGUEEITE   IN   FRANCE. 

come  up  was  that  we  were  afraid  of  disturbing  Marie,  but 
that  I  longed  to  see  her.  Babet  said  Marie  felt  so  too,  and 
as  her  grandpapa  was  sleeping  then  she  would  like  us  to 
come  upstairs.  We  followed  Babet  at  once,  who  took  us 
into  the  parlor.  Marie  soon  came  in,  looking  much  paler 
than  usual,  and  very  sad.  Mamma  kissed  her  so  affection 
ately  that  it  brought  the  tears  to  her  eyes.  I  could  not 
speak  to  her.  Then  Jeanne  came  in  to  see  us,  looking 
very  grave.  Mamma  told  Marie  that  we  were  unwilling  to 

disturb  her  when  we  called  before,  as  we  heard  she  was 

*  -\ 

always  in  her  grandpapa's  room. 

"  I  am  there  as  much  as  possible,  madame,  but  he  is 
sleeping  now,  and  I  am  afraid  to  wake  him  by  opening 
the  door." 

"  I  know  how  tenderly  you  nurse  him,  my  child  ;  but  I 
wanted  to  say  to  you  that  if  this  illness  continues,  and  you 
need  any  one  to  help  or  advise  you,  you  must  call  upon  us. 
We  shall  be  only  too  happy  to  assist  you." 

"  You  are  very  good,  madame,"  said  Marie  with  her 
sweet  voice,  "  but  at  present  I  need  no  one ;  but  it  is  very 
sad  to  be  alone." 

"  Is  there  no  one  but  yourself  with  M.  de  Laval  ? " 

"  I  have  a  nurse,  but  grandpapa  does  not  like  her  very 
much,  although  she  knows  better  how  to  take  care  of  him 
than  I  do." 

"Does  your  brother  know  of  your  grandpapa's  ill 
ness  ? " 

"  My  brother  will  be  here  in  two  days,  and  although  I 
wrote  him  that  grandpapa  was  ill,  I  did  not  like  to  ask 
him  to  come  on.  I  was  afraid  they  would  not  permit  him 
to  come,  and  then  it  might  make  grandpapa  anxious  to 
see  him  here ;  he  is  very  uneasy  about  himself." 

"  What  does  the  doctor  say  2 " 


MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE.  75 

"  He  says  grandpapa  is  better,  but  he  has  said  so  every 
day,  even  when  he  was  much  more  ill." 

"  What  does  he  prescribe  for  him  ?  " 

"  We  applied  blisters  and  leeches  at  first,  but  now  the 
doctor  thinks  it  is  not  best  to  worry  grandpapa  by  putting 
them  on." 

"  But  these  blisters  relieve  him,  do  they  not,  or  do  they 
annoy  him  ? " 

"  Oh,  no ;  madame,  he  is  used  to  them,  and  says  he  does 
not  feel  them  now."  Poor  Marie !  Mamma  thinks  it  very 
bad  that  M.  de  Laval  does  not  feel  the  blisters,  but  she  did 
not  say  so  to  Marie.  She  told  her  that  we  should  come 
again  and  inquire,  and  begged  her  to  let  Jeanne  or  Babet 
pome  and  speak  to.  us.  Marie  did  not  cry  when  we  kissed 
her,  but  only  thanked  us  again  for  coming.  How  sad  she 
looks ! 

Tuesday,  December  16th. 

Mademoiselle  and  I  went  yesterday  to  inquire  after  M. 
de  Laval,  but  we  did  not  see  Marie.  Her  grandpapa  had 
a  violent  attack  at  the  moment,  and  everything  was  in 
confusion.  The  door  was  open,  and  we  stayed  in  the 
anteroom  for  some  time  without  seeing  any  one,  but  at 
last  I  saw  Jeanne,  who  was  running  to  get  something.  I 
called  her,  and  she  ran  in  for  a  moment  only,  as  they  were 
waiting  for  her.  "  I  feel  that  grandpapa  is  very  bad," 
she  cried,  and  burst  into  tears.  Then  I  said : 

"  Oh,  Jeanne,  do  not  cry,  for  you  want  to  be  able  to  help 
Marie."  She  replied  : 

"  I  do  not  see  how  Marie  can  jlo  it,  but  she  muses  grand 
papa  without  crying  a  bit,  and  yet  she  is  just  as  much 
grieved  as  I  am."  Mademoiselle  said  : 

"  It  is  because  you  are  younger,  my  child ;  but  do  not 
wait  here.  Dry  your  eyes,  and  pray  earnestly  for  your 


76  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

dear  grandpapa,  as  we  shall  do  also."  We  met  M.  1'Abbe" 
Martin  on  the  stairs,  and  he  hurried  on  when  he  heard  M. 
de  Laval  was  worse.  He  had  been  there  also  yesterday, 
and  had  seen  the  poor  grandpapa.  Mademoiselle  and  I 
went  into  Saint  Roeh  and. prayed  earnestly  for  M.  de  La 
val  and  the  little  girls.  In  the  evening  mamma  sent 
Fran9ois  to  inquire,  and  I  felt  so  frightened  when  he  came 
back.  But  M.  de  Laval  was  much  better,  and  had  slept 
almost  ever  since  the  attack  had  passed.  Even  papa  feels 
interested  in  Marie  and  Jeanne,  and  made  me  tell  him  all 
about -them.  Gustave  makes  fun  of  me,  and  yet  as  soon 
as  he  came  home  from  college  he  asked,  "  How  is  your 
grandpapa  ?  "  and  looked  pleased  when  I  said,  "  Better." 

Wednesday,  December  YitTi. 

Oh !  I  do  not  want  to  think  that  it  is  all  over,  and 
Marie  and  Jeanne  have  no  longer  a  grandpapa — they 
who  had  already  lost  both  father  and  mother !  We  in 
tended  to  go  yesterday  after  catechism  to  inquire  after 
M.  de  Laval,  but  I  felt  comforted  about  him  since  they 
had  said  he  was  better.  But  before  the  lesson  began, 
M.  1'Abbe  Martin  said,  speaking  to  us  all : 

"  My  children,  you  are  all  here  sisters  before  God.  You 
ought  therefore  to  be  interested  in  each  other,  and  to 
pray  for  each  other.  1  therefore  beg  you  to  remember  in 
your  prayers  the  grandfather  of  Marie  and  Jeanne  de 
.(  Laval.  I  administered  to  him  this  morning,  and  he  has 
I  just  died."  I  jumped  up,  and  almost  cried  out ;  but  when 
I  saw  that  every  one  was  looking  at  me,  I  fell  on  my 
knees-  as  the  others  had  done.  They  prayed  for  M.  de 
Laval,  but  I  cried,  and  cried  so  hard  that  I  could  not 
pray.  Aglae  Buffart  looked  at  me  all  the  time,  but  that 
could  not  keep  me  from  crying.  At  last  I  stopped  a 


MARGUERITE    IN    FRANCE.  77 

little,  when  they  began  to  question  us,  for  I  was  afraid  of 
not  knowing  my,  lesson.  They  questioned  me  the  last, 
but  after  I  began  to  speak  I  suddenly  thought  of  Marie, 
so  that  I  had  hardly  said  two  words  before  I  began  to 
sob.  Fortunately  M.  1'Abbe  understood  what  was  the 
matter,  and  said  very  kindly :  "  You  are  too  distressed, 
my  .child,  to  go  on,  so  you  may  sit  down  and  try  to 
compose  yourself  in  praying  to  God  for  your  little 
friends." 

I  was  afraid  when  I  went  out  that  Mademoiselle  would 
scold  me  for  not  controlling  myself,  but  she  was  very 
much  moved  herself.  She  was  very  good,  and  tried  to 
comfort  me  by  talking  of  Marie.  As  soon  as  we  reached 
home,  we  told  mamma  the  sad  news,  and  she  was  much 
grieved,  but  not  surprised  as  I  was,  as  she  had  not  ex 
pected  that  M.  de  Laval  would  recover.  She  promised 
me  she  would  try  to  see  Marie,  and  all  the  rest  of  the 
day  I  felt  so  unhappy  and  so  anxious  that  I  could  not 
study.  But  I  do  not  think  Mademoiselle  will  give  me 
bad  marks,  for  she  saw  I  did  not  mean  to  be  idle. 

Mamma  came  home  at  six  o'clock,  and  came  at  once  to 
the  school-room  where  I  was  arranging  my  books.  As 
soon  as  I  saw  her  I  ran  to  her,  asking  eagerly  if  she  had 
seen  Marie.  She  said  yes,  and  that  she  would  tell  me 
about  her  presently,  but  as  it  was  late  I  must  prepare 
myself  for  dinner,  and  then  come  to  her  room  while  she 
was  dressing.  I  was  ready  in  ten  minutes,  and  then 
hurried  to  mamma's  room.  She  said  to  me : 

"  You  were  quite  right,  Marguerite,  in  loving  Marie. 
She  is  really  lovely,  and  it  is  very  touching  to  see  her  in 
such  heavy  sorrow,  with  so  many  cares  coming  upon  her." 

I  begged  mamma  to  tell  me  everything,  and  she  said  that 
when  she  first  arrived  she  found  the  door  open,  and  hesi- 


78  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

tated  about  entering,  when  a  young  man  came  to  speak 
to  her. 

"It  was  Alberic,  mamma,"  I  cried.  She  said  it  was, 
and  she  liked  him  very  much.  He  was  much  darker  than 
Marie,  but  fine  looking.  He  asked  her  name,  and  said  he 
was  sure  Marie  would  see  her.  She  found  Marie  and 
Jeanne  in  a  small  sitting-room,  both  weeping  bitterly,  but 
they  came  to  her  at  once,  and  seemed  to  find  comfort  in 
seeing  her.  Marie  had  spoken  of  me,  and  mamma  said 
she  hoped  I  could  see  her  soon,  but  that  I  must  try  to 
be  composed,  which  I  promised  earnestly.  She  said  M. 
1'Abbe  Martin  had  told  her  that  M.  de  Laval  had  died  a 
firm  Christian,  trusting  in  God,  in  whose  hands  he  placed 
his  grandchildren.  He  felt  it  a  sore  trial  to  leave  them  so 
desolate,  but  he  strove  to  be  resigned  and  hopeful.  All 
three  were  with  him  when  he  died,  and  he  had  given 
them  his  blessing.  Poor  Alberic  seemed  much  grieved, 
and  greatly  troubled  about  his  sisters,  of  whom  he  spoke 
with  much  affection.  As  I  had  supposed,  they  have  no 
near  relatives  in  this  country,  only  friends  in  Paris,  who 
had  called  and  left  cards  during  their  grandfather's 
illness.  M.  1'Abbe  told  mamma  he  had  written  to  a 
distant  relative  of  M.  de  Laval,  informing  him  of  the 
death  and  the  unhappy  position  of  the  grandchildren, 
and  he  hoped  he  wo.uld  arrive  in  time  for  the  funeral, 
although  he  lived  in  Orleans.  Here  we  were  interrupted 
by  being  called  to  dinner.  But  in  the  evening  we  all 
talked  about  Marie,  Jeanne,  and  Alberic.  Nothing  can  be 
decided  about  them  until  the  cousin  arrives  from  Orleans. 

Friday,  December  IQtk. 

On  Wednesday  mamma  went  again  to  see  Marie  and 
Jeanne,  and  they  seemed  so  sad  and  desolate  that  mamma 


MARGUERITE   IN  FRANCE.  79 

begged  them  to  come  home  with  her.  But  Marie  said  she 
could  not  leave  the  house  as  long  as  her  grandpapa  was 
there,  although  it  was  a  great  comfort  to  her  to  see  mamma. 
Mamma  says  that  Jeanne  can  speak  of  her  grief  more 
readily  than  Marie,  as  I  can  well  understand,  for  Marie  al 
ways  finds  it  hard  to  express  what  she  feels.  The  cousin 
arrived  on  AVednesday  night,  and  yesterday  morning  the 
funeral  took  place.  Papa  was  invited,  and  went,  as  I 
begged  he  would,  which  was  very  good  of  him.  Mamma, 
Mademoiselle,  and  1  went  to  Mass,  and  on  coming  out 
mamma  told  me  that  if  I  thought  I  could  be  composed  and 
quiet,  as  I  had  promised,  she  would  take  me  to  see  Marie. 
I  promised  again,  but  it  made  my  heart  beat  fast  to  think 
of  it.  Mamma  did  not  go  through  the  streets  we  generally 
take,  hoping  to  avoid  the  funeral  procession,  but  we  did 
meet  it  before  we  reached  the  house.  It  brought  the  tears 
to  my  eyes  to  see  the  great  hearse,  with  its  black  hangings, 
black  horses,  and  attendants  all  in  mourning.  Behind  the 
hearse,  walking  all  alone,  came  a  young  man,  wrapped  in 
a  black  cloak,  who  mamma  said  was  Alberic.  It  made 
my  heart  ache  to  look  at  him !  When  we  reached  the 
house,  we  found  it  open  and  all  in  disorder,  as  every  one 
had  gone  to  the  funeral.  There  was  no  one  to  be  seen 
but  the  porter's  wife,  who  went  up  with  us  to  Marie's  rooms, 
where  the  poor  little  girls  were  all  alone.  Marie  was  sitting 
on  her  bed,  with  Jeanne  beside  her,  and  both  weeping  bit 
terly,  so  that  I  quite  forgot  my  promise,  and  running  to 
Marie,  I  put  my  arms  around  her,  and  cried  with  her.  It 
did  not  seem  the  best  way  to  comfort  her,  but  at  first  I  could 
do  nothing  else,  and  Marie  seemed  glad  to  have  me,  for 
she  held  me  tightly  in  her  arms.  After  a  few  moments  I 
turned  to  kiss  Jeanne,  whose  tears  were  falling  fast,  too, 
and  I  was  almost  afraid  to  look  at  mamma  and  Made- 


80  MAKGUEEITE   IN   FRANCE-. 

moiselle.  But  I  soon  saw  that  their  eyes  were  full  of  tears. 
Mamma  sat  down  by  Marie,  and  told'  her  that  we  had  come 
to  her  to  try  and  comfort  her  at  this  sad  time.  Marie 
tried  to  thank  mamma,  but  her  tears  would  not  let  her 
speak.  When  mamma  saw  how  agitated  she  was,  she  told 
her  that  if  it  would  be  agreeable  to  her  she  would  leave 
Mademoiselle  and  me  with  them  for  a  little  while,  but 
that  she  .was  obliged  to  go  home  herself.  Marie  said : 

"  Oh,  we  should  like  so  much  to  have  them,  but  it  is  too 
sad  for  Marguerite." 

"Oh,  no,  indeed,"!  cried,  "I  would  rather  be  here  with 
you  than  anywhere  else." 

So  it  was  all  arranged,  and  mamma  went  away,  after 
kissing  the  little  girls  tenderly.  Jeanne  seems  already  very 
loud  of  mamma.  When  Mademoiselle  and  I  had  taken 
off  our  bonnets,  we  all  sat  down  again,  and  for  a  few  mo 
ments  no  one  spoke.  Then  Mademoiselle  asked  Marie  if 
she  would  not  like  us  all  to  pray  together  for  her  grand 
father,  as  that  was  the  only  consolation.  Marie  accepted 
at  once ;  so  we  all  knelt  down,  while  Mademoiselle  read  the 
prayers,  which  seemed  to  comfort  us  all.  Afterwards 
Mademoiselle  proposed  to  read  from  "  the  Imitation,"  and 
she  chose  the  chapter  on  "  the  cross, "  which  seemed  writ 
ten  for  Marie.  Mademoiselle  explained  it  all,  so  that  even 
Jeanne  could  understand  it.  After  this  Mademoiselle,  seea 
ing  a  number  of  letters  on  a  table,  askedMarie  if  she  could 
not  help  her  with  them.  Marie  thanked  her,  and  said  they 
were  the  letters  communicating  her  grandfather's  death  to 
their  friends.  Alberic  had  been  addressing  them.  So 
Mademoiselle  soon  established  herself  at  the  table,  with 
Jeanne  to  assist  her,  leaving  Marie  and  myself  to  talk  to 
each  other.  Marie  begged  me  to  come  and  sit  beside  her,  and, 
taking  my  hand,  thanked  me  for  staying  with  her.  I  replied : 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  81 

"  But,  Marie,  I  do  not  see  why  you  thank  me,  for  it  gives 
me  pleasure  to  be  with  you." 

"  I  see  that  it  is  God  who  has  given  me  this  comfort," 
said  Marie,  "as  Mademoiselle  Valniy  said.  How  happy 
-you  are  to  have  her  always.  She  will  make  you  good  as 
she  is." 

"  I  wish  I  could  think  so,  but  I  am  far  from  it  now." 

"  It  will  come  after  your  first  communion." 

"  That  seems  so  far  off.  But,  Marie,  when  will  you  be 
ready  for  yours  ?  How  will  you  do  about  your  cate 
chism  ?"  I  felt  sorry  that  I  had  asked  her,  for  her  face 
changed  and  she  cried  :  . 

"  Oh,  I  had  not  thought  of  it !  And  my  poor  grand 
papa,  who  would  have  been  so  happy,"  and-  once  more  her 
tears  fell  fast.  I  tried  to  comfort  her  by  telling  her  that 
I  was  sure  God  would  arrange  it  all,  and  that  mamma 
and  Mademoiselle  would  help  her  in  every  way.  I  then 
asked  her  if'  Alberic  was  to  stay  with  them  a  little  while. 

"  Yes,  I  think  so,"  said  Marie.  "  He  reached  here  before 
grandpapa  died,  and  now  he  does  not  want  to  go  back 
until  it  is  decided  where  we  are  to  go.  Poor  Alberic  !  he 
is  so  distressed  that  if  he  had  not  so  much  to  do,  he 
would  give  way,  I  fear,  under  so  much  grief  and  anxiety." 

"  Do  you  not  think,  dear  Marie,  that  it  would  make  you 
feel  better  to  occupy  yourself  ? " 

"Yes,  I  think  so;  but  just  now  my  strength  seems  all 
gone."  At  these  words  she  grew  so  pale  that  I  felt 
frightened,  and  said  : 

"  Pray  lie  down,  dear  Marie,  and  rest  a  little.  I  will 
sit  beside  you,  and  perhaps  you  will  sleep."  Marie 
thought  she  could  not  sleep,  but  was  glad  to  lie  down,  for 
her  poor  head  was  so  hot  it  felt  burning  as  I  put  my 
hand  upon  it.  I  covered  her  and  arranged  her  pillow, 


82  MAKGUEEITE   IN   FRANCE. 

and  then  seeing  she  could  not  sleep,  I  proposed  that  we 
should  tell  our  beads  together  for  her  grandfather,  to 
which  she  agreed  gladly.  We  began  together,  but  after 
a  few  moments  I  did  not  hear  Marie's  voice,  and  seeing 
her  eyes  were  closed,  I  finished  the  prayers  in  a  low  voice 
by  myself.  Gustave  would  have  been  surprised  to  see 
me  keep  so  quiet !  I  was  so  happy  to  see  Marie  sleeping 
that  I  did  not  feel  the  least  wish  to  move.  Unhappily 
she  did  not  sleep  long,  but  soon  began  to  sob  and  toss, 
and  suddenly  opening  her  eyes,  she  said,  "  Where  is 
grandpapa  ? "  I  was  so  shocked  I  could  not  speak,  but  in 
a  moment  she  remembered,  and  burst  into  tears.  I  bent 
over  her,  and  with  kisses  and  all  sorts  of  loving  words, 
begged  her  not  to  cry,  telling  her  how  much  it  grieved 
me.  She  soon  felt  more  quiet,  and  very  soon  mamma 
came  back  for  us.  We  felt  more  comforted  to  leave  them, 
as  Alberic  had  returned,  and  seemed  so  kind  and  tender 
to  his  sisters. 

Saturday,  December  20th. 

They  have  decided  that  Marie  and  Jeanne  should  be 
placed  in  a  convent.  That  seems  very  sad  to  me,  and  I 
am  so  disappointed,  for  I  had  hoped  so  much  that  Marie 
could  come  here  and  be  my  sister !  But  when  I  asked 
mamma  why  the  two  little  girls  could  not  come  and  live 
with  us,  now  they  were  all  alone  in  the  world,  she  said  it 
was  impossible.  She  could  not  take  such  a  responsibility, 
and  besides  our  approaching  journey  was  another  objec 
tion.  I  could  not  understand,  but  Mademoiselle  says  I 
must  not  urge  mamma  any  more,  for  it  makes  her  feel 
badly  to  say  "  no  "  to  me.  Yesterday,  after  lunch,  I  went 
with  Mademoiselle  to  see  Marie.  We  found  her  much 
braver  than  the  day  before,  although  still  very  pale  and 
Bad.  Jeanne  did  not  look  very  sad,  and  she  even  laughed 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  83 

several  times,  which  surprised  me,  but  then  she  is  such  a 
child  !  Marie  was  busy  in  putting  the  house  in  order  a 
little,  but  she  said  it  made  her  feel  very  badly,  for  she 
was  not  allowed  to  touch  anything  of  her  grandfather's, 
as  seals  had  been  put  on  everything.  They  have  had  a 
family  council.  There  were  not  many  of  the  family,  as 
the  cousin  is  the  only  relative,  but  there  were  also  some 
friends.  The  cousin  was  appointed  guardian  for  the 
ckildren  in  Francfe,  as  their  real  guardian  is  the  uncle  in 
Bourbon.  The  cousin  said  that  he  would  undertake  the 
charge  of  the  children's  property,  but  that  he  could  not 
take  charge  of  them  or  their  education.  As  he  did  not 
live  in  Paris,  he  did  not  know  where  it  was  best  to  place 
them.  M.  1'Abbe  Martin,  who  was  at  the  council,  then 
said  that  he  was  sure  mamma  would  be  very  happy  to 
make  the  proper  inquiries.  So  it  was  decided  that  the 
little  girls  should  go  to  some  convent  for  their  education. 
They  concluded,  too,  to  write  to  M.  de  La  Gaze  at  once, 
and  so  Alberic,  M.  1'Abbe,  and  the  cousin  all  wrote.  Ah, 
how  sad  it  is  to  lose  all  one's  relatives !  Marie  and  Jeanne 
say  they  are  .quite  willing  to  go  into  the  convent,  and  in 
deed  Jeanne  seems  quite  amused  at  the  idea.  I  should 
not  like  it  at  all. 

Monday,  December  22d. 

I  have  a  great  deal  to  say,  but  I  do  not  know  if  I  shall 
be  very  patient  about  writing,  for  Marie  is  sitting  beside 
me  with  her  work,  and  it  would  be  much  nicer  to  talk  to 
her.  She  wants  me  to  let  her  see  my  journal,  but  I  can- 
not  bear  to  think  of  all  she  will  see  in  it ;  still  I  shall  show 
it  to  her,  for  I  love  her  so  very,  very  much.  But  I  must 
begin. 

.On  Saturday  mamma  took  me  again  to  see  Marie, 
and  there  we  saw  the  big  cousin.  (I  hope  Marie  will  not 


84  MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

mind  this,  as  she  does  not  know  him  very  well.)  I  do  not 
think  the  cousin  is  very  pleasant,  for  he  does  not  seem  to 
think  of  any  one  but  himself.  He  talked  for  nearly  an 
hour  to  mamma  about  a  bad  cold  he  had  taken  on  his 
journey,  and  yet  he  did  not  cough  nearly  as  often  as 
mamma.  Mamma  was  very  pleasant  to  him,  which  sur 
prised  me,  but  then  she  is  always  pleasant  to  every  one. 
Suddenly  I  heard  her  ask  him  if  he  would  allow  Marie 
and  Jeanne  to  come  and  stay  with  us  for  a  few  days,  until 
a  suitable  school  could  be  found  for  them.  I  was  so 
delighted,  and  then  so  afraid  the  big  cousin  would  refuse. 
But  he  seemed  very  much  pleased,  and  said,  "  You  are 
really  too  good,  madam.  You  can  imagine  that  I  do  not 
undertsand  playing  mother  very  well,"  and  then  he 
lawghed  with  his  great,  coarse  voice.  But  Marie  did  not 
laugh,  for  the  tears  came  into  her  eyes.  Both  she  and 
Jeanne  seemed  very  glad  to  come  to  us,  and  Alberic  said 
he  should  be  much  easier  to  think  his  sisters  were  in 
mamma's  care.  I  feel  a  little  afraid  of  Alberic,  he  is  so 
large,  but  mamma  says  he  is  a  fine  young  man.  It  was 
soon  arranged  that  Marie,  Jeanne,  and  old  Babet  should 
come  to  us  on  Sunday  after  Mass.  It  made  Marie  feel 
very  sad  to  leave  her  grandfather's  house,  and  before  she 
came  away  she  went  to  M.  de  Laval's  room,  and  prayed 
beside  the  bed  where  he  had  died.  Mamma  has  given 
my  room  to  the  two  sisters,  and  I  have  gone  into  the  room 
with  Stephanie  and  Berthe.  It  makes  me  so  happy  to 
give  my  room  to  Marie  !  Last  evening  it  was  so  pleasant 
to  have  them  with  us,  but  it  must  have  been  very  sad  for 
Marie.  This  morning  she  came  into  the  school-room 
while  I  was  saying  my  lessons.  She  says  I  am  more  for 
ward  than  she  is,  but  I  am  sure  it  is  only  modesty  that 
makes  her  say  so,  for  she  embroiders  so  much  better  than 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  85 

I  do.     Mademoiselle  has  proposed  to  her  to  study  a  little, 
and  I  do  hope  she  will  say  "  Yes." 

Wednesday,  December  24th. 

Yesterday  I  went  to  the  Catechism  Glass,  but  Marie  and 
Jeanne  did  not  go,  although  we  studied  the  lesson  to 
gether.  Aglae  Buff  art  was  very  disagreeable.  She  always 
looks  as  if  she  were  making  fun  of  me,  and  she  stares  at 
me  all  the  time.  I  wish  M.  1'Abbe  Martin  would  speak  to 
her.  How  good  M  1'Abbe  is  !  He  came  yesterday  to  see 
Marie  and  Jeanne,  and  as  mamma  was  out,  he  came  up  into 
the  school-room,  where  we  were  with  Mademoiselle.  He 
spoke  as  kindly  to  Marie  as  if  he  had  been  her  father,  and 
it  was  a  pleasure  to  hear  him.  He  said  very  nice  things, 
too,  of  mamma,  telling  Marie  she  ought  to  be  thankful  to 
God",  "  who  had  placed  in  her  way  a  mother's  heart  to 
cherish  and  shelter  her,"  and  he  added,  "  and  who  seems  to 
have  given  you  another  tender  sister."  As  lie  looked  at  me 
he  asked, "  Is  it  not  so,  my  child  ?  "  and  I  replied,  "  Oh,  no, 
monsieur,  not  at  all,  for  it  does  not  seem  so,  but  it  is  so  real 
ly."  Ho  smiled,  and  Marie  too,  but  I  could  not  understand 
why,  until  afterwards,  when  Mademoiselle  explained  that 
it  was  because  I  had  said  "JVo"  M.  1'Abbe  talked  some  time 
with  Mademoiselle  about  the  school  for  Marie  and  Jeanne, 
as  he  is  making  inquiries  as  well  as  mamma.  Yesterday 
evening  there  was  a  great  quarrel  between  Jeanne  and 
Berthe  ;  even  Stephanie  did  not  like  it,  when  she  saw  that 
Jeanne  tried  to  force  Berthe  to  give  up,  and  pushed  her  so 
roughly  that  she  made  her  cry.  Marie  did  what  she  could 
to  stop  Jeanne,  but  it  was  very  difficult.  I  am  so  glad 
that  I  have  not  been  angry  for  a  long  time.  In  the  even 
ing  Marie  and  I  had  our  sewing,  for  Mademoiselle  is  show 
ing  us  how  to  make  some  baby  clothes  for  a  poor  woman. 


86  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

Gustave  was  drawing,  and  Jeanne  played  cards  with  Ste 
phanie  and  Berthe.  It  was  all  very  pleasant.  Gustave  is 
very  kind  now;  he  does  not  tease  me  any  more.  I  suppose 
he  does  not  dare  to  do  it  before  Marie.  I  forgot  to  say 
that  Alberic  went  back  on  Sunday  evening. 

Friday,  December  26th. 

We  were  all  at  Mass  yesterday,  as  it  was  Christmas  Day. 
Papa  went  with  us;  so,  with  Marie  and  Jeanne,  we  had  a 
large  family.  No  one  was  left  at  iiome  but  our  baby. 
The  children  behaved  very  well,  only  Berthe  did  not  want 
to  get  down  from  her  seat,  on  which  she  stood  on  tiptoe 
in  order  to  see  the  altar.  As  for  Stephanie,  she  looked 
like  a  little  angel,  and  Marie  said  afterwards  she  had 
never  seen  a  child  pray  so  earnestly.  Mademoiselle  talked 
to  us  so  nicely  on  Wednesday  evening  about  Christmas. 
Even  Berthe  was  interested,  and  said  every  now  and  then  : 
"  Oh,  the  dear  little  Jesus,  how  I  wish  I  could  see  Him !  " 
Mademoiselle  told  us  how  the  world  was  waiting  for  our 
Lord,  for  the  Jews  knew,  both  from  God  and  from  the 
Prophets,  that "  the  Messiah  "  was  to  come.  And  the  rest 
of  the  world,  although  they  had  forgotten  God,  and  wor 
shipped  idols,  still  looked  for  the  coming  of  a  Saviour. 
Mademoiselle  told  us  how  the  Holy  Virgin  and  Saint 
Joseph  had  gone  to  Bethlehem,  and  how  the  little  Jesus 
had  been  born  in  a  stable.  I  remember  when  I  was  a  lit 
tle  girl  feeling  much  troubled  at  this,  for  I  should  have 
liked  Him  to  be  born  in  a  splendid  palace  and  laid  in  a 
beautiful  cradle,  and  Berthe  said  so  too.  But  Mademoi 
selle  said  that  although  the  little  Jesus  could  have  had 
anything  He  chose,  since  all  belonged  to  Him,  yet  He  had 
chosen  a  manger,  in  order  to  teach  us  not  to  think  so  much 
of  what  is  pretty  and  comfortable,  and  not  to  complain 


MARGUERITE    IN   FRANCE.  87 

when  we  do  not  have  them.  I  do  not  explain  well  all  that 
Mademoiselle  said,  but  Berthe  seemed  to  understand  that 
she  ought  not  to  grumble  so  much,  as  she  does  when  any 
thing  troubles  her,  or  when  she  is  washed.  She  made  all 
sorts  of  promises  to  Mademoiselle,  and  finished  by  saying  : 
"  I  Mall  never  grumble  again  in  my  little  bed,  and  even,  if 
the  good  little  Jesus  wishes  it,  1  will  leave  it  and  go  to 
sleep  with  you."  As  for  us,  Mademoiselle  showed  us  how 
we  ought  to  be  humble,  obedient,  and  good,  since  the  Son 
of  God  had  become  as  a  little  child,  in  order  to  teach  us.  I 
feel  as  if  I  had  done  nothing,  and  I  have  so  many  bless 
ings,  all  that  I  want,  and  kind,  tender  friends.  Poor  Marie 
has  been  tried,  but  1  have  had  so  few  trials,  and  I  feel  as 
if  I  had  done  nothing  for  Jesus,  and  that  lie  cannot  love 
me.  We  went  to  the  "  Hail  Mary"  in  the  evening,  and 
it  was  beautiful.  The  altar  was  all  illuminated  and  made 
me  think  of  the  light  which  had  shone  round  about  the 
shepherds.  And  then  there  was  such  beautiful  music, 
that  might  have  been  like  the  song  of  praise  which  the 
angels  chanted — "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest."  In  the 
evening  I  was  very  much  annoyed  at  Berthe,  and  nearly 
lost  my  temper,  but  happily  I  remembered  my  good  reso 
lutions,  and  stopped.  To-day  is  Stephanie's  birthday,  and 
I  had  a  pretty  little  box  for  her,  while  Gustave  gave  her  a 
pair  of  scissors — indeed,  every  one  had  a  gift  for  her,  and 
she  was  delighted. 

Monday,  December  29t7i. 

I  am  so.unhappy,  for  I  have  been  naughty  again,  and  so 
near  to  the  Christmas  festival  and  before  Marie,  too  !  It 
was  Gustave's  fault,  and  I  am  not  a  bit  sorry  that  we  are 
going  to  leave  him  in  France.  But  no,  I  am  ashamed  to 
speak  so,  for  after  all  the  blame  is  all  ,my  own.  It  hap- 


88  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

pened  on  Sunday  too,  which  is  so  often  my  bad  day.  "We 
went  to  Mass  in  the  morning,  and  there  I  did  not  pray  as 
I  should,  for  I  kept  looking  at  Aglae  Buffart,  who  was 
there  with  her  mamma.  When  we  came  home,  mamma 
told  Marie  and  Jeanne  that  after  breakfast  she  wanted  to 
.take  them  to  a  convent  of  which  M.  1'Abbe  Martin  had 
spoken  to  her.  She  had  been  there  herself,  but  she  did 
not  want  to  make  any  decision  about  it,  or  write  to  their 
cousin,  until  the  little  girls  had  been  there  themselves. 
This  made  me  provoked,  because  I  did  not  want  to  stay  at 
home  without  them,  although  Mademoiselle  kindly  offered 
to  walk  with  me.  When  Gustave  saw  my  ill-humored 
face,  he  began  at  once  to  laugh,  and  make  fun  of  me.  I 
replied  very  crossly,  and  when  he  only  laughed  more,  I  be 
gan  to  stamp  my  feet.  At  this  he  stopped  and  exclaimed  : 
"  I  shall  fly,  as  I  see  the  fever  is  seizing  you,  and  I  do  not 
want  this  attack  on  my  conscience." 

lie  went  away,  but  I  still  felt  very  cross  and  sulky, 
and  spoke  very  impatiently  to  Stephanie  and  Berthe,  when 
they  begged  me  to  play  with  them.  I  would  not  lend  them 
either  my  hoop  or  my  skipping-rope,  and  I  could  see  that 
Babet  looked  .at  me  in  surprise.  Jeanne  annoys  Marie 
sometimes  I  know,  for  I  have  seen  her  grow  quite  red 
when  Jeanne  asked  the  samejjuestion  a  great  many  times, 
but  then  she  never  loses  her  temper  as  I  do.  Then,  just 
as  I  was  going  out  with  Mademoiselle,  who  should  arrive 
but  Clara  with  Mile.  Levins.  It  was  too  much !  As  I  had 
my  hat  on  already,  Mile.  Levins  wanted  to  take  Clara 
away,  but  Mademoiselle  said,  "  Certainly  not ;  Marguerite 
can  still  have  her  walk  by  going  into  the  garden  with  Clara." 
I  did  not  dare  to  refuse,  but  I  felt  very  cross,  so  I  took 
Clara  down  into  the  garden.  She  saw  I  did  not  feel 
amiably,  and  said  to  me : 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  89 

"Does  it  fret  you  very  much,  Marguerite,  to  give  up  your 
walk?" 

"  Oh,  not  at  all,"  I  replied,  but  then,  as  it  was  an  untruth, 
I  added,  "  at  least  I  have  to  submit  to  it."  Clara  said  : 

"  If  I  had  known,  I  would  not  have  come,  and  mamma 
would  have  taken  me  to  the  boulevard."  Then  I  said  : ' 

"It  has  been  freezing  to-day,  and  you  would  have  had 
beautiful  weather."  At  this  Clara  was  very  much  annoyed, 
and  said : 

"  Very  well,  I  shall  go  and  ask  Mademoiselle  to  take 
me  away."  But  I  was  afraid  of  my  Mademoiselle,  and 
would  not  let  her  go,  so  we  walked  about  for  nearly  an 
hour,  and  we  had  a  very  stupid  time.  When  Mile.  Levins 
called  Clara,  I  was  very  glad  to  say  good-by  to  her.  I 
still  hoped  to  have  my  walk,  but  Mademoiselle  said  it  was 
too  late  to  go.  I  felt  cross  enough  already,  and  Gustave 
chose  just  this  moment  to  begin  teasing  me  again,  and  was 
unkind  enough,  too,  to  tell  me  all  the  fine  things  he  had 
seen  in  the  gardens  of  the  Tuileries.  Then  my  anger 
broke  out,  and  I  caught  hold  of  him  to  strike  him,  when 
at  that  moment  mamma  walked  in  with  Marie  and  Jeannie. 
I  had  not  heard  the  bell,  for  I  had  been  so  angry.  I 
felt  so  ashamed  when  I  saw  Marie  that  I  stopped  at  once, 
but  I  was  still  very  red,  and  my  eyes  were  flashing.  Mamma 
said  sadly: 

"What  is  the  matter,  Marguerite?"  I  could  not  answer, 
but  Gustave  said  very  generously: 

"  Oh,  we  were  playing  at  fighting."  But  I  felt  this  was 
untrue,  so  I  cried: 

"  JSTo,  mamma,  it  is  I  who  am  in  a  rage  again !  I  am 
ashamed  to  say  so  before  Marie,  but  it  is  the  truth." 
Mamma  said: 

"  Your  frankness  makes  some  amends,  my  child ;  but  when 


90  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

will  you  learn  to  control  your  temper  ? "  She  went  away 
and  left  me,  feeling  terribly  ashamed.  I  did  not  know 
what  to  do,  but  at  last  resolved  to  run  to  Mademoiselle  and 
confess  all  to  her.  I  told  her  how  naughty  I  had  been  all 
day,  and  she  scolded  me  gently,  saying  slie  had  noticed 
my  ill-humor,  but  thought  I  was  trying  to  conquer  it. 

'"  Oh,  Mademoiselle,"  I  cried,  "  I  wanted  to  ask  God  to 
help  me,  but  when  I  am  so  angry  I  cannot  pray." 

"  That  is  just  the  time  when  you  need  His  help.  You 
must  try  to  say  something,  if  only  a  few  words.  If  you 
cry  with  all  your  heart,  '  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  me,'  He 
will  surely  hear  you." 

"  Oh,  Mademoiselle,  how  good  you  are  to  console  me 
always,  and  when  I  am  naughty  in  the  same  way  over 
and  over  again. 

"  Well,  my  child,  try  only  every  day  to  conquer  yourself, 
and  in  the  end  you  will  succeed." 

"  I  am  going  to  begin  to  try  again,  Mademoiselle,  so 
please  kiss  me,  and  say  you  are  not  angry  with  me."  She 
kissed  me  kindly,  which  made  me  feel  happier,  so  I  ran  at 
once  to  mamma  to  tell  her  I  was  good  again,  which  pleased 
her  very  much.  But  what  was  more  difficult  was  to  see 
Marie  again.  She  seemed  afraid  to  look  at  me,  when  I 
went  to  call  her  to  dinner.  I  thought  I  had  better  speak 
at  once,  so  I  said : 

"  I  am  sure  you  cannot  love  me  any  more,  Marie,  now 
you  see  how  naughty  I  am."  She  replied : 

"  Oh,  yes ;  I  love  you  always."    She  stopped,  and  I  said : 

"  Listen,  Marie.  I  know  I  have  been  very  naughty,  for  I 
was  in  a  rage,  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  am  often  so,  but  I 
mean  to  try  and  do  better.  Mademoiselle  tells  me  God 
will  pardon  me,  if  I  am  sorry,  and  she  and  mamma  have 
both  kissed  me.  Are  you  unwilling  to  do  so  ?  That  would 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.    *  91 

make  me  too  unhappy ! "     That  good   Marie  came  and 
kissed  me  at  once,  saying  : 

"  Oh,  it  is  not  for  me  to  be  unwilling,  when  I  have  so 
many  faults,  and  am  not  willing  to  own  them  as  you  do." 

"  Marie,  I  am  sure  you  have  no  faults ;  you  only  say  that 
to  comfort  me." 

"  No,  Marguerite,  it  is  the  truth,  and  I  will  tell  you  at 
once,  so  that  you  will  see  I  am  no  better  than  you."  Then 
she  grew  very  red  as  she  said  very  softly :  "  1  am  very 
proud." 

"  Oh,  Marie,  and  of  what  ? " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  she  said,  reddening  still  more,  "but  I  do 
not  like  a  reproach,  or  a  joke,  nor  even  a  simple  advice ;  it 
irritates  me,  and  my  dear  mamma  often  told  me  of  it." 

"But  you  are  not  proud  now,  Marie,  so  why  do  you  re 
proach  yourself  ? "  She  replied  sadly  : 

"  Perhaps  I  do  not  feel  my  pride,  since  there  is  no  one 
now  to  find  fault  with  me.  But  there  is  no  great  merit 
then  in  not  getting  angry." 

"  Oh,  Marie,  I  cannot  imagine  that  you  could  ever  get 
angry !  But  in  the  convent  there  will  be  some  one  to 
correct  you." 

"  Yes,  certainly  ;  and  I  hope  to  grow  better."  Here  the 
dinner-bell  rang,  and  we  went  down  ;  I  feel  a  little  consoled 
to  think  that  Marie  has  some  faults,  and  yet  it  is  sad  that 
every  one  has  them. 

Wednesday,  December  31st. 

*  I  went  to  the  catechism  class  yesterday  with  Marie  and 
I  Jeanne.  It  was  the  first  time  they  had  been  since  their 
grandfather's  death,  and  they  both  felt  it  very  much  ;  they 
will  not  go  again,  since  it  has  been  decided  that  they 
shall  go  to  the  convent.  I  felt  so  happy  to  be  with  them, 
and  felt,  too,  that  all  the  other  little  girls  must  envy  me 


92  '     MARGUERITE   IN  FRANCE. 

for  being  their  friend.  Marie  and  Jeanne  are  to  go  to  the 
convent  on  the  Monday  after  New  Year's  Bay,  and  I 
shall  be  so  sorry  to  part  with  them !  Marie  and  I  have 
been  studying  together  lately,  whic^h  has  been  very  pleasant. 
Marie  was  right  when  she  said  1  was  more  advanced  in 
my  lessons  than  she  was,  and  it  seems  so  strange  to  me. 
In  writing  "  dietee  "  she  has  always  more  faults  than  I  have, 
and  Jeanne,  too,  makes  many  more  mistakes  than  Stephanie ; 
indeed,  she  is  not  much  ahead  of  Berthe.  Marie  says  that 
in  the  colonies  people  do  not  take  much  pains  in  the 
education  of  the  children,  who  are  allowed  to  do  pretty 
much  as  they  like,  that  there  are  several  good  schools  now 
in  the  capital  of  Bourbon,  but  the  children  learn  very  little, 
being  so  much  spoiled  and  made  lazy,  too,  by  the  climate. 
Marie  says,  too,  that  her  mother  had  had  so  much  sorrow 
and  ill  health  that  she  had  been  obliged  to  neglect  .their 
education,  which  had  distressed  her  very  often.  I  can  see 
that  it  wounds  Marie's  pride,  too,  to  be  so  backward.  To 
day  we  shall  not  have  much  studying,  for  we  have  to  visit 
our  poor  people  and  go  to  church.  I  want  to  finish  the 
slippers  I  am  making  as  my  gift  to  papa,  and  fortunately 
there  are  only  a  few  rows  to  do.  The  cuffs  I  have  em 
broidered  for  mamma  have  been  finished  for  some  time, 
and  I  have  made  a  little  bead  purse  for  Mademoiselle, 
which  I  hope  she  knows  nothing  about,  as  I  have  always 
worked  on  it  in  mamma's  room.  Neither  papa  nor  mamma 
have  any  idea  of  what  I  have  made  for  them.  How  nice 
it  will  be  to  surprise  them !  Stephanie  has  written  a  very 
nice  copy-book,  and  Berthe  has  insisted  in  doing  the  same 
thing,  and  a  strange-looking  thing  it  is !  It  is  written  in 
huge  letters,  very  bla*k.  and  she  made  Mademoiselle  write 
her  copy  in  these  words :  "  My  dear  papa,  my  dear  mamma, 
give  me  some  presents,"  which  certainly  was  not  a  very 


MAKGUEEITB   IN   FEANCE.  93 

polite  demand!  As  for.  Stephanie,  she,  too,  has  some 
funny  notions ;  she  is  rather  lazy,  and  grumbles  every  morn 
ing  at  having  to  get  up,  especially  if  it  is  cold.  So  some 
time  ago  she  begged  mamma  to  let  her  stay  one  whole  day 
in  bed.  Mamma  was  very  much  amused,  and  told  she  should 
have  the  permission  for  her  New  Year's  present.  Stephanie 
was  delighted,  and  has  been  counting  the  days  with  impa 
tience.  I  wonder  if  she  will  really  like  to  spend  the  day 
in  bed.  I  am  afraid  that  it  makes  Marie  sad  to  see  me 
making  my  preparations ;  she  would  have  been  so  happy  in 
doing  the  same  for  her  mother  and  grandfather.  Mamma 
has  invited  Clara  and  Cecile  to  spend  the  day  with  me,  and 
she  would  have  asked  some  other  little  girls  and  some 
frrendsof  Gustave,  but  she  thought  it  would  not  be  pleasant 
for  Marie  and  Jeanne  in  their  deep  mourning.  Mademoi 
selle  has  j  ust.  counted  our  notes,  and  this  month  I  have  gained 
fourteen  sous,  so  with  the  money  that  Gustave,  Stephanie 
and'JBerthe  will  give  me  I  shall  have  six  francs  for  the 
poor,  and. mamma  has  promised  me  something  too.  Im 
mediately  after  breakfast  Mademoiselle  and  I  are  to  go 
and  buy  our  presents  for  the  poor,,  and  then  I  am  to  go  to 
confession.  Mademoiselle  directed  my  self-examination 
last  evening,  and  I  am  grieved  to  see  how  many  faults  I 
have  committed.  I  hope  next  year  will  see  a  better 
account. 

Friday,  January  2d. 

Oh,  what  a  pleasant  day  I  had  yesterday,  except  that 
Marie  was  so  sad  ;  still  it  was  so  nice  to  have  her  with  me  ! 
Mademoiselle  has  given  me  holiday  to-day  too,  so  I  shall 
have  plenty  of  time  for  my  journal.  After  breakfast  on 
Wednesday  I  went  with  Mademoiselle  to  a  large  store  to 
buy  several  things  for  our  poor  people.  Mamma  had 
given  me  ten  francs,  which  was  really  a  fortune  !  At  first 


94:  MARGUERITE    IN   FRANCE. 

I  was  puzzled  what  to  choose,  but  Mademoiselle  helped 
'  me  very  kindly.  So  we  took  some  pretty  blue  and  white 
calico  to  make  dresses  for  the  big  Mariette  and  her  little 
sister,  then  a  neck-kerchief  for  good  Fra^oise,  their 
mother.  I  could  buy  nothing  for  the  husband,  poor  Pierre, 
because  men's  clothes  are  too  dear.  Besides,  we  bought  a 
woollen  jacket  for  oldMorande,  and  woollen  stockings  for 
her  little  girl,  who  sometimes  cries  with  cold  feet.  Then 
we  chose  an  apron  of  black  stuff  for  the  little  daughter  of . 
a  mason,  who  was  killed  last  year  in  our  street  by  falling 
from  a  scaffolding,  and  two  caps  for  the  little  boys.  Lastly 
we  bought  a  pound  of  barley-sugar  to  distribute  amongst 
all  the  children,  and  then  I  had  not  a  sou  left,  for 
indeed  Mademoiselle  had  had  to  give  me  a  little  from  her 
own  purse.  We  went  to  see  old  Morande  first,  as  her 
jacket  made  such  a  bulky  parcel.  I  felt  so. glad  when 
good  old  Morande  said  to  me :  "  May  God  bless  you,  my 
child."  Oh,  how  happy  Fran 90186  was  to  see  the  dresses 
for  her  children ;  she  really  cried  for  joy  ;  but  the  big 
Mariette  laughed  and  hugged  her  dress  in  her  arms,  crying : 
"  Oh,  my  pretty  pretty  dress ; "  as  for  the  little  one,  she  was 
delighted  with  only  the  barley-sugar.  They  seem  to 
be  very  poor,  but  their  room  is  always  clean,  as  they  are 
themselves.  They  were  cooking  their  dinner,  a  soup  of 
potatoes  and  beans,  and  it  seemed  to  be  very  nice.  When 
P  think  what  nice  dinners  I  have  to  eat,  and  these  poor 
people  have  only  soup,  into  which  they  cannot  afford  to 
put  even  a  piece  of  butter !  After  this  we  went  to  see  the 
mason's  poor  widow,  who  seems  very  unhappy,  and  cries 
whenever  she  speaks  of  her  husband.  She  said  :  "  Oh,  if  he 
were  not  dead,  my  children  should  always  have  bread,  and 
I  should  not  have  to  live  upon  charity."  Mademoiselle 
tried  to  comfort  her,  but  she  said  the  New  Year's  Day 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  ^          95 

V 

made  her  more  unhappy,  for  every  one  else  was  gay.  It 
had  made  me  so  unhappy  to  think  that  all  these  little 
children  could  never  have  any  toys,  that  I  made  a  plan  to 
give  them  some  without  spending  any  money.  I  asked 
Stephanie  and  Berthe,  who  gladly  brought  some  of  their  old 
toys  (indeed  Stephanie  would  have  given  any  thing,  even  her 
pretty  doll), 'and  with  some  of  mine  we  had  enough  to  send 
something  to  each  child.  Gustave  gave  us  a  drum  and  an 
old  sword,  and  as  Marie  and  Jeanne  had  no  toys,  they  sent 
a  little  money  for  the  mothers.  I  never  was  so  happy  in 
my  life !  After  we  had  finished  our  poor-visits  Made 
moiselle  took  me  to  confession.  How  kindly  the  priest 
spoke  to  me,  and  I  promised  I  would  try  to  do  better  for . 
the  next  year.  That  night  when  we  were  going  to  bed  1 
asked  mamma,  at  what  time  I  could  come  to  her  room  in 
the  morning  ;  she  replied,  "  as  early  as  possible."  Stephanie 
said  she  could  not  come,  as  it  was  her  day  to  stay  in  bed. 
"  What,"  said  mamma,  "  would  }'ou  really  rather  sleep  than 
come  to  kiss  your  mother  ?  "  Stephanie  seemed  disturbed, 
but  she  had  counted  upon  this  indulgence  for  so  long,  that 
she  did  not  like  to  give  it  up,  so  she  replied  : 

"Ah,  dear  little  mamma,  you  will  come  to  see  me,  for 
you  know  you  promised  I  could  stay  in  bed." 

"  I  will  not  take  back  my  promise,"  said  mamma,  "  but 
I  am  afraid  you  will  not  have  as  much  pleasure  as  you 
think,  still  I  will  come  and  kiss  you."  Stephanie  was 
satisfied,  so  we  went  up  stairs.  Before  she  went  to  bed, 
Stephanie  put  her  writing-book  under  her  pillow  so  as  to- 
have  it  ready  when  mamma  came  to  her.  Mademoiselle 
made  us  say  our  prayers  together,  telling  us  to  thank  God 
with  all  our  hearts  for  his  benefits,  and  asking  Him  to 
pardon  our  sins.  She  spoke  so  kindly  too,  to  Marie  and 
Jeanne,  telling  them  that  since  they  had  no  parents  to 


96  MAHGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

embrace,  the  next  morning,  they  must  turn  to  God,  and 
feel  that  He  would  be  to  them  as  father  and  mother,  pro 
tecting  and  caring  for  them,  everywhere  and  always.  It 
was  sweet  to  see  Mademoiselle  with  Jeanne  on  her  lap, 
and  Marie  standing  beside  her  with  her  pale  sad  face. 
Mademoiselle  put  her  arms  around  Marie,  and  I  heard 
her  whisper :  "  You  must  come  to  me,  my  child,  for  I  too 
have  lost  my  parents,  and  know  what  you  suffer."  It 
made  me  feel  badly  to  think  that  Mademoiselle  should 
talk  to  Marie  of  her  parents,  and  she  has  never  spoken  of 
them  to  me.  I  love  her  so  well,  I  am  sure  I  could  under 
stand  her  sorrow. 

The  next  morning  I  waked  up  very,  very  early,  and  look 
ing  to  see  if  Stephanie  and  Berthe  were  awake,  I  found 
they  were  both  sleeping  soundly.  Josephine  was  not 
quite  ready  to  dress  me,  which  made  me  a  little  cross,  but 
I  remembered  my  confession,  and  kneeling  down  to  say 
my  prayers,  I  asked  God  to  help  me  to  be  patient.  When 
I  was  partly  dressed  Josephine  took  up  Berthe,  who 
struggled  and  grumbled  as  usual.  Indeed  she  made  such 
a  hubbub  when  she  was  washed,  that  she  waked  up 
Stephanie.  I  said  "  good-morning  "  to  her,  and  asked  her 
if  she  did  not  mean  to  get  up,  but  she  said  no,  that  her 
bed  was  very  warm,  and  that  she  was  glad  enough  to  stay 
there.  "  Very  well,"  I  said,  "  go  to  sleep  again,"  but  Berthe 
made  too  much  noise,  which  annoyed  Stephanie  greatly. 
At  last  the  little  plague  was  ready,  and  we  were  just  run 
ning  off  to  mamma,  when  Stephanie  called  out,  "  Here, 
take  my  copy-book.  I  would  rather  have  you  give  it  to 
mamma,  and  kiss  her  and  papa  for  me."  I  promised,  but 
I  told  her  I  thought  it  would  be  very  poor  enjoyment  to 
stay  in  bed  all  day. 

When  Berthe  and  I  reached  mamma's  room,  we  found 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  97 

that  horrid  Gnstave  had  been  before  us,  and  even  then 
Berthe  pushed  past  me,  and  jumping  on  the  bed,  cried, 
"  Happy  New  Year !  Happy  New  Year !  my  little  mother ! 
Where  are  my  presents  V  I  felt  quite  ashamed  of  her, 
but  then  she  is  so  little !  Then  without  waiting,  she 
handed  her  great  page  of  writing  to  mamma,  who  pre 
tended  to  be  delighted  with  it,  while  she  held  out  her 
arms  to  me.  Ah!  how  I  kissed  her,  and  wished  her 
"  Happy  New  Year  "  in  my  turn.  But  I  think  she  had 
been  crying,  and  Gustavo's  eyes  too  were  red,  although 
he  turned  away  quickly  when  we  came  into  the  room.  I 
gave  my  cuffs  to  mamma,  who  praised  them  kindly,  and 
then  I  told  Berthe  to  repeat  the  history  of  Joseph,  which 
she  did  very  sweetly.  When  I  gave  mamma  Stephanie's 
copy-book,  she  asked  if  Stephanie  was  still  asleep,  and  I 
think  she  felt  sorry  not  to  see  her  with  us.  As  Berthe 
was  still  begging  for  her  presents,  mamma  took  off  the 
bed  a  little  parcel  and  gave  her,  which,  upon  being  opened, 
showed  a  pretty  box  containing  a  lovely  tea-set  in  gilded 
china.  Berthe  was  so  delighted  that  she  nearly  broke 
the  whole  thing  by  bouncing  off  the  bed.  When  she  had 
kissed  mamma,  she  hurried  off  eagerly  to  show  her  treasures 
to  Josephine  and  Stephanie.  She  fell  on  the  stairs,  and 
broke  one  of  her  saucers,  which  made  her  desperately 
unhappy.  When  she  was  gone,  mamma  told  me  to  come 
and  sit  beside  her  on  the  bed,  looking  at  me  meanwhile 
with  tears  in  her  eyes.  I  bent  over  her  and  asked  softly  : 

"  Why  do  you  cry,  mamma  ?  " 

"  Ah,  Marguerite,"  she  said, "  you  will  have  to  console  me 
next  year."  Then  I  understood  what  she  meant,  for  she 
felt  that  on  the  next  New  Years  Day  Gnstave  would  not 
be  with  us.  I  replied  at  once : 

"  Yes,  indeed,  dear  mamma,  I  will  console  you,  for  I 


08  MAKGUEEITE   IN   FKANCE. 

will  try  to  be  so  very,  very  good.  And  then  we  can  talk 
of  Gustave  together." 

"  But,"  said  mamma,  smiling, "  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not 
hear  much  good  said  then,  since  you  quarrel  so  often." 

"  Oh,  mamma,  do  not  say  so.  It  is  true  that  we  quarrel, 
because  Gustave  will  tease  me,  but  that  is  for  last  year  ; 
this  year  I  have  promised  God  not  to  get  angry  with 
Gustave.  I  shall  be  very  sorry  to  leave  Gustave,  for  I 
really  do  love  him." 

"  That  is  right,  Marguerite,  your  brother  has  faults,  but 
he  has  very  fine  qualities  too.  He  loves  me  very  dearly, 
and  the  poor  boy  will  suffer  very  much  in  being  separated 
from  us  all." 

"  From  me  too,  do  you  think,  mamma  ? " 

"  Certainly,  my  child,  we  were  speaking  just  now  of  the 
coming  parting,  and  when  I  mentioned  you,  I  could  see 
how  badly  he  felt." 

"  Oh,  mamma,  you  think  he  loves  me  really  ? " 

"  He  loves  you  very  much,  Marguerite,  and  if  he  does 
not  show  it,  it  is  perhaps  because  you  do  not  give  him 
much  affection  either." 

"  What  shall  I  do  then  ?  I  should  like  him  to  know 
that  I  love  him,  but  if  I  were  to  speak  to  him  about  it 
he  would  laugh  at  me." 

"  You  must  do  better  than  speaking,  my  child,  you  must 
prove  your  affection.  Try  to  be  always  amiable  with 
him,  take  his  teasing  pleasantly,  and  be  always  ready  to 
do  him  some  little  service.  You  will  soon  see  that  he 
understands  and  likes  such  a  change." 

"  Oh,  mamma,  indeed,  I  will  try." 

"  It  will  be  a  great  comfort  to  me,  Marguerite,  for  then  I 
can  feel  that  even  if  my  children  are  separated,  they  still 
love  each  other,  and  will  rejoice  to  be  together  again." 


MAKGUEKITE    IX    FRANCE.  99 

As  I  kissed  and  promised  her,  nurse  came  in,  bringing 
baby  to  see  mamma.  How  sweetly  he  looked  in  his  new 
blue  and  white  suit,  but  he  is  always  a  little  pale. 
Mamma  took  him  in  her  arms,  and  kissing  him,  said  to  me : 

"  Ask  God  to  let  us  keep  him.  lie  looks  too  much  like 
an  angel ! "  Mamma  looked  very  sad,  but  nurse  began 
to  tell  us  how  baby  had  really  said  "  mamma "  quite 
plainly  this  morning.  And  at  that  moment  he  repeated  it 
over  and  over  again,  which  made  us  all  laugh.  Mamma 
gave  nurse  a  nice  dress  for  her  present,  and  to  me  she 
gave  such  a  lovely  little  work-box,  with  thimble,  scissors, 
needle-case,  stiletto  and  bodkin,  all  in  mother-of-pearl  and 
gold.  It  was  just  what  I  wanted,  how  could  mamma 
have  known  it !  Papa  came  in,  and  I  ran  to  kiss  him, 
and  give  him  my  slippers,  which  pleased  him  very  much. 
He  gave  me  a  pretty  little  parasol,  with  a  carved  ivory 
stick,  which  delighted  me.  But  I  must  stop  for  to-day. 
I.  am  too  tired. 

Satiirday,  January  §d. 

Now  1  must  continue  the  history  of  New  Year's  Day. 
I  ran  next  to  Mademoiselle,  who  was  expecting  me,  and 
had  such  a  surprise  for  me.  It  was  such  a  beautiful  pa- 
peterie,  full  of  note-paper  of  different  sizes,  and  marked 
with  my  initials.  There  were  plenty  of  envelopes  too,  and 
wax  to  seal  them  with,  all  so  pretty  !  1  was  delighted,  for 
I  wanted  some  nice  paper  so  much  in  order  to  write  to 
Marie  and  G-ustave  from  India.  I  gave  my  little  purse  to 
Mademoiselle,  and  it  surprised  and  pleased  her  very  much. 
I  stayed  a  little  while  with  her,  and  then  went  to  look  for 
Marie,  as  Mademoiselle  begged  me  to  bring  the  two  sisters 
to  her  room  after  they  had  been  to  mamma.  I  found 
Marie  looking  pale  and  sad,  but  she  kissed  me  warmly, 
and  said  she  had  just  had  a  very  nice  letter  from  Alberic. 


100  MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

After  she  and  Jeanne  had  gone  to  Mademoiselle,  I  went 
to  see  if  Stephanie  were  still  asleep.  The  poor  child  was 
turning  over  and  aver  in  bed,  because  Berthe  was  making 
such  a  racket,  and  she  begged  me  to  come  and  tell  her  all 
I  had  done.  I  think  she  was  very  tired  of  her  bed.  But 
she  was  ashamed  to  say  so.  •  Mamma  came  up  to  see  her 
before  going  to  Mass,  and  brought  her  presents,  a  nice  lit 
tle  kitchen  with  all  the  necessary  utensils,  and  a  little  gold 
cross,  such  as  papa  gave  me  last  year.  Stephanie  was 
greatly  pleased,  and  said  her  piece  of  poetry  very  nicely. 
Mamma  said  afterwards  that  she  thought  the  poor  child 
was  Very  sorry  she  had  asked  to  stay  in  bed.  After  break 
fast  we  all  went  to  the  school-room.  Marie  and  Jeanne 
had  presents  too,  for  mamma  had  given  Marie  some  books, 
and  Jeanne  a  pretty  doll.  Cecile  Dufon  arrived  very  soon, 
and  began  to  make  a  great  hubbub  with  Jeanne  and  Berthe. 
At  last  Clara  came.  She  was  so  stiff  and  full  of  airs  to 
wards  Marie  that  it  made  me  very  uncomfortable,  and  I 
am  afraid  I  should  have -been  rude  to  her,  if  Mademoi 
selle  had  not  cautioned  me  in  English.  Mamma  had  a 
beautiful  lunch  laid  for  us  in  the  dining-room,  and  she 
was  just  doing  the  honors  herself  for  us,  when  she  was 
called  to  the  parlor  to  see  some  friends.  Mademoiselle 
was  up-stairs,  and  I  had  a  sad  time  keeping  all  the  chil 
dren  in  order ;  Clara  did  not  make  much  noise,  to  be  sure, 
but  she  was  very  disagreeable,  talking  all  the  time  about 
the  beautiful  presents  she  had  had,  as  if  to  show  us  how 
•  few  we  had.  After  lunch  Marie  went  up  to  see  baby, 
and  Jeanne  went  to  comfort  Stephanie,  so  I  said  to  Clara 
and  Cecile  that  we  must  not  talk  too  much  about  our 
mothers  before  Marie,  for  it  made  her  so  unhappy. 

"  But,  my  dear,"  said  Clara,  "  what  shall  we  talk  about 
then?" 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  101 

"  I  do  not  know,  but  about  other  tilings,"  Ceeile  cried. 

"  But,  my  dear  girl,  we  cannot  talk  of  anything  but  pre 
sents  on  New  Year's  Day,  and  our  mothers  always  give 
them  to  us." 

"  Well,  let  us  talk  about  them  when  Marie  is  not  here." 

"  Oh,  your  Marie,"  said  Clara  disdainfully.  "  I  do  not  like 
her  at  all,  she  looks  so  affected,  with  her  sentimental  pale 
face  !  "  Cecile  burst  out  laughing  and  said  : 

"  That  is  very  true."     1  was  so  angry.     I  exclaimed  : 

"  How  can  you  say  so,  Clara  ?  If  Marie  is  pale,  it  is  be 
cause  she  has  lost  her  mother,  and  her  good  grandpapa 
too,  and  it  is  not  kind-hearted  of  you  to  make  fun  of 
her ! " 

"  Oh,  dear,"  replied  Clara, "  you  are  always  talking  about 
hearts  here  ;  mamma  says  so  herself.  It  makes  you  seem 
almost  as  affected  as  your  Marie." 

"  You  are  very  unkind,  Clara,  and  you  ought  not  to  talk 
about  being  affected.  But  I  do  not  care,  for  I  am  very 
glad  to  be  like  Marie.  Besides,  it  is  right  to  talk  about 
hearts,  and  to  have  a  good  one,  for  Mademoiselle  says  so." 

"  Oh,  I  did  not  say  it  was  your  fault,"  said  Clara. 

"  But  it  is  not  a  fault  at  all." 

"  Oh,  dear,"  said  Cecile  to  me,  "  do  not  get  angry  because 
Mile.  Valmy  is  attacked ;  at  school  we  say  all  sorts  of  things 
'against  our  teachers." 

"But,  Cecile,  that  is  very  wicked,"  I  cried. 

"  It  is  no  use  to  talk  to  Marguerite,"  said  Clara,  "  she  is  a 
little  saint,  and  is  always  talking  about  heaven.  She  goes  to 
confession  too  every  month,  which  does  not  prevent  her 
however  from  getting  in  a  rage  now  and  then."  I  felt  very 
much  like  one  then,  but  I  made  an  effort  and  only  said : 

"  I  arn  not  a  saint,  and  unhappily  I  do  get  into  a  rage 
sometimes,  but  I  am  trying  to  correct  myself." 


102  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

"  "Well,  I  am  thankful  that  1  never  get  into  a  rage,"  said 
Clara. 

"  But  you  have  other  faults,  and  if  you  do  not  correct 
them  you  will  not  go  to  heaven." 

"  Fortunately,  my  dear,  that  is  not  for  you  to  decide.  But 
do  not  trouble  yourself.  Mamma  does  not  think  me  so 
very  bad.  She  thinks  I  have  a  good  heart,  although  she  is 
not  always  using  large  words,  like  your  mamma." 

"  So  you  attack  even  mamma  ?  " 

"  Oh,  not  at  all ;  she  is  charming  and  very  stylish,  as 
every  one  says." 

"  But  you  do  not  like  Mademoiselle  and  Marie  ? " 

"  I  do  not  feel  about  them  as  you  do,  certainly.  You 
think  it  is  all  lovely.  If  Mile.  Yalmy  says  you  are  a  little 
monster,  you  believe  her ;  if  she  punishes  you,  you  thank 
her." 

"  No,  she  never  calls  me  a  monster,  nor  does  she  punish 
me ;  she  is  always  too  good  to  me.  But  you  ought  to  like 
her  yourself,  for  she  tells  me  I  ought  to  love  everybody, 
and  you  too,  because  you  are  my  neighbor."  This  made 
Clara  angry,  and  she  said  sharply : 

"  Thank  you,  I  do  not  want  your  friendship  if  you  only 
give  it  because  Mile.  Yalmy  tells  you  to  do  so."  I  tried 
to  make  some  amends,  but  fortunately  Jeanne  came  in 
and  began  to  tell  us  about  Stephanie.  But  I  do  not  like " 
Clara,  nor  that  fat  Cecile ;  Marie  is  worth  more  than  both 
of  them,  and  so  is  Jeanne.  Mademoiselle  came  in  soon, 
and  showed  us  such  nice  games  that  1  think  even  Clara 
must  have  found  her  pleasant.  At  last  they  went  away, 
and  I  ran  to  Stephanie,  who  was  crying  and  very  uncom 
fortable.  She  said  she  was  cold  and  could  not  sleep,  but 
when  I  tried  to  persuade  her  to  get  up,  she  said  no,  every 
one  would  laugh  at  her.  At  last  Mademoiselle  came  and 


MAEGUEEITE   IN   FEANCE.  103 

made  her  understand  that  it  would  be  a  great  deal  better 
just  to  say  that  she  had  been  lazy,  and  had  punished  her 
self  without  meaning  it,  and  then  to  try  and  be  more  ac 
tive  about  getting  up  in  future.  Stephanie  consented,  and 
dressed  herself.  She  looked  very  much  ashamed,  but  I 
think  she  was  very  glad  to  be  up.  We  had  a  nice  dinner, 
and  plenty  of  bonbons,  for  almost  all  mamma's  friends- 
had  sent  some  to  us.  We  put  some  away  for  the  pbor 
children.  In  the  evening  we  played  charades,  which 
Mile,  arranged  for  us,  and  every  one  thought  them  charm 
ing.  Yesterday  I  had  holiday,  but  I  spent  a  long  time  on 
my  journal.  I  ate  too  a  great  many  bonbons,  and  I  am 
afraid  I  am  rather  greedy,  so  I  shall  give  the  rest  of  mine 
to  Berthe.  Stephanie  has  gotten  up  very  promptly  now 
for*two  days;  I  think  she  was  well  tired  of  her  bed.  Oh 
dear,  after  to-morrow  Marie  will  be  gone  !  What  shall  I 
do  without  her  2 " 

Tuesday,  January  Wth. 

Oh,  how  unhappy  we  are,  for  Marie  and  Jeanne  have 
left. us !  It  makes  the  house  seem  so  lonely  to  be  without 
them,  and  yet  we  have  all  our  own  family  as  usual.  I  hope 
Marie  will  be  happy  in  the  convent,  but  even  if  the  Sisters 
are  good  to  her  (as  I  know  they  will  be),  it  will  not.  be  like 
her  own  home  and  her  own  mother.  Marie  was  very  brave 
about  saying  good-by  to  us,  and  yet  I  knew  it  grieved  her 
to  leave  us,  especially  me,  fof  she  said  several  times  when 
we  were  alone : 

"  Marguerite,  God  has  been  very  good  to  give  me  a  little 
friend  like  you." 

"  Oh,  Marie,"  I  said,  "pray  call  me  your  little  sister,  for 
that  will  make  you  believe  that  mamma  feels  like  a  mother 
towards  you." 

"  Yes,  Marguerite,  you  are  indeed  like  a  sister,  and  I  shall 


104  MARGUERITE   IN  FRANCE. 

never  forget  your  mother's  goodness  to  us,  although  it  is  so 
difficult  for  me  to  tell  her  how  I  feel.  But  you  must  tell 
her  that  indeed  we  are  not  ungrateful."  It  seems  so  strange 
to  me  that  Marie  should  be  so  timid  with  mamma,  who 
is  always  so  affectionate  to  her.  Mamma  told  us  that  when 
she  took  them  to  the  convent,  and  gave  them  up  to  the 
Superior  that  Marie  only  looked  at  Her  and  said  "  thank 
you,"  although  mamma  knew  her  heart  was  full.  Jeanne 
clung  around  her  with  many  endearing  words,  and  even 
tears  ;  she  is  much  more  demonstrative.  Old  Babet  is  to 
stay  with  us  until  she  has  an  opportunity  to  return  to 
Bourbon  ;  she  seems  contented,  but  misses  her  young  mis 
tresses  sadly.  I  have  forgotten  to  say  that  it  is  the  Convent 
of  the  Visitation  to  which  Marie  had  gone.  It  is  quite  at  the 
other  end  of  Paris,  but  I  am  sure  I  can  walk  there,  if  they 
will  let  me  go.  Now  I  am  back  again  in  my  little  room, 
which  seems  sad  enough  now  that  Marie  is  no  longer  sit 
ting  here.  She  has  promised  to  write  me  from  the  .convent, 
and  tell  me  how  she  likes  it  there.  I  gave  my  journal  to 
Mademoiselle  that  she  might  read  what  I  had  written  for 
the  last  few  days,  and  I  watched  her  face  out  of  the  cor 
ner  of  my  eye  to  see  how  she  would  look  when  she  read 
what  I  said  about  her  talking  to  Marie  about  her  parents, 
but  she  read  on  and  said  nothing.  At  recess,  however,  as 
it  was  too  unpleasant  to  go  out,  she  called  me  into  her  room, 
and  said  we  would  have  a  little  chat.  I  was  very  glad, 
but  felt  a  little  shy  too.  She  sat  down  on  her  large  sofa, 
and,  to  my  delight,  invited  me  to  get  upon  her  lap.  Then, 
putting  her  arms  around  me,  she  said : 

"  Did  my  little  Marguerite  really  think  that  I  did  not 
love  her  enough  ?  " 

"  Ah,  yes,  my  good  Mademoiselle,"  I  cried,  "  I  know  you 
love  me,  but  I  love  you  still  more.'5 


MARGUERITE    IN    FRANCE.  105 

"  Then,  why  do  you  torment  yourself?"  she  said,  smil 
ing. 

"  You  know,  Mademoiselle,  for  you  saw  it  in  my  jour- 
"nal." 

"  You  are  a  foolish  little  girl !  Could  you  think  of  com 
paring  my  kind  interest  in  poor  Marie  with  my  warm 
love  for  you  ?  " 

"  No,  Mademoiselle,  but — " 

"  I  can  speak  to  Marie,  my  child,  of  my  own  grief,  be 
cause  she  is  herself  so  unhappy,  and  can  understand  my 
sorrow." 

"  Oh,  Mademoiselle,"  I  cried,  "  do  not  say  you  are  un 
happy.  I  cannot  bear  to  hear  it." 

"  You  see,  my  little  Marguerite,"  replied  Mademoiselle, 
"  that  your  quick  feelings  are  an  objection  to  my  speaking 
to  you  of  my  troubles.  •  You  are  too  impressible  and  too 
tender-hearted  at  the  same  time." 

"  Oh,  Mademoiselle,  is  it  bad  to  be  tender-hearted  ?  " 

"No,  my  child,  and  I  would  rather  have  you  so  than 
selfish  and  cold." 

"  Like  Clara,"  I  interrupted.  Mademoiselle's  face  grew 
stern  at  once. 

"  That  is  very  wrong,"  she  said  ;  "when  I  am  speaking 
of  what  is  wrong  or  disagreeable  you  should  never  make 
a  particular  application,  and  certainly  not  to  one  of  your 
little  friends.  That  is  being  very  uncharitable." 

"  Oh,  Mademoiselle,  forgive  me  ! " 

"  I  do,  my  child,  but  I  want  to  speak  to  you  about  Clara, 
of  whom  you  speak  and  think  too  harshly.  She  has  faults, 
certainly,  but  she  is  good-hearted,  as  you  yourself  saw  when 
she  gave  her  money  so  readily  to  the  poor  woman." 

"  I  remember,  Mademoiselle." 

"  She  is  an  only  child,  too,  and  Mme.  de  Baldi  goes  so 
5* 


106  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

much  into  society  that  she  cannot  watch  her  daughter  very 
closely,  and  she  shows  her  affection  chiefly  by  spoiling 
Clara." 

"  Then,  why  does  not  Mrae.  de  Baldi  allow  Mile.  Levins 
to  correct  Clara's  faults  ?  " 

"  Because,  unfortunately,  she  has  not  the  same  confi 
dence  in  her  that  your  mamma  so  kindly  shows  for  me. 
Try  not  to  judge  others,  my  child  ;  remember  you  have 
enough  to  do  to  correct  yourself." 

"  .Oh,,  yes,  Mademoiselle,  I  know  that  so  well." 

"  Try  always  to  think  that  had  you  been  situated  as 
Clara  is,  with  no  one  to  point  out  your  faults,  or  teach  you 
to  fight  against  them,  that  you  might  even  have  done 
worse  than  she  has  done;  God  will  one  day  ask  you  to  give 
account  of  the  means  of  grace  which  He  has  given  you, 
and  do  you  feel  you  have  an  answer  ready  ? "  These 
words  frightened  me,  and  I  threw  my  arms  around  Made 
moiselle,  asking  her  to  pardon  me,  and  promising  her  not 
tp  speak  or  think  ill  in  future  of  either  Mine,  de  Baldi 
or  Clara.  She  then  explained  to  me  that  she  had  never 
spoken  to  me  about  her  parents,  because  she  did  not  wish 
to  make  me  unhappy,  and  also  because  she  tried  to  submit 
to  God's  will,  by  not  allowing  her  mind  to  dwell  too  much 
upon  her  loss.  She  said  she  was  as  happy  as  possible  with 
us,  and  that  every  day  she  thanked  God  for  her  home. 
This  made  me  feel  more  content.  I  am  sure  that  if  Clara 
knew  how  kindly  Mademoiselle  had  spoken  of  her  she 
would  not  attack  her  again. 

Friday,  January  Qth. 

I  was  made  so  happy  yesterday  by  seeing  Marie !  With 
out  telling  me  of  it  mamma  had  asked  permission  of  the 
Superior  to  bring  me  to  see  Marie,  and  her  request  was 


MABGTTERITE   IN   FEANCE.  107 

granted.  So  we  made  quite  a  party  to  go  to  the  conv.ent, 
mamma,  Mademoiselle,  Stephanie  and  myself.  Berthe 
begged  hard  to  go  too,  but  mamma  was  not  willing.  I 
am  not  sure  but  what  mamma  would  have  yielded  when 
she  saw  Berthe  crying,  if  mademoiselle  had  not  urged  her 
to  be  firm  after  once  saying  no. 

"  It  seemed  to  me  a  long  way  to  the  convent,  and  yet  I 
was  almost  afraid  to  reach  there,  lest  we  should  find  Marie 
very  unhappy.  But,  on  the  contrary,  she  did  not  look  so 
sad,  and  seemed  happier,  perhaps  at  seeing  us  again.  She 
talked  too  more  readily  than  usual  with  both  mamma  and 
Mademoiselle,  and  said  she  liked  the  convent-life  very  much. 
I  was  surprised  to  hear  her  say  so,  for  those  thick  walls, 
heavy  doors,  with  close  gratings,  and  even  the  Sisters  hid 
den  under  their  long  veils,  seemed  very  gloomy  and 
severe  to  me.  But  Marie  assures  me  that  although  she 
is  so  sad  as  yet  from  losing  her  dear  grandpapa  and  from 
leaving  us,  she  feels  that  by-and-by  she  shall  be  quite 
contented.  I  asked  her  all  sorts  of  questions  about  the 
Sisters,  the  little  girls,  the  food,  sleeping-rooms,  and  her 
studies. 

She  said  the  Sisters  were  indeed  like  mothers  to  them, 
and  there  was  one  in  particular,  Sister  Saint  Francis  de 
Sales,  that  she  already  loved.  There  were  a  great  many 
little  girls  and  some  larger  ones,  but  Marie  did  not  as  yet 
know  any  by  name.  She  said  they  were  ruled  quite  strictly 
in  the  classes,.but  in  recess  they  were  allowed  to  make  as 
much  noise  as  they  pleased.  And  a  fine  racket  there  was, 
as  they  ran  and  played  in  the  convent-garden,  which  was 
large  and  fine.  I  asked  Marie  how  she  amused  herself, 
for  I  felt  sure  that  she  would  not  care  to  run  and  play. 
She  said  that  the  first  day  both  she  and  Jeanne  felt  a  little 
strange,  but  very  soon  after  they  went  into  the  garden  one 


108  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

of  the  smaller  girls  persuaded  Jeanne  to  join  in  a  game, 
and  then  some  of  the  larger  girls  came  and  talked  very 
kindly  to  her. 

"  Oh,  Marie,"  I  said,  "  that  was  very  nice,  but  I  hope  you 
will  not  love  them  better  than  me."  Marie  began  to  laugh 
heartily,  and  said : 

"How  can  you  think  so?  I  am  sure  I  shall  like  some 
of  them  very  much,  but  you,  why,  are  you  not  rny  dear 
little  sister  \ "  It  was  very  nice  in  Marie  to  say  that,  but 
I  could  not  kiss  her,  unhappily,  on  account  of  those  horrid 
gratings. 

We  stayed  only  too  short  a  time  with  Marie  and  Jeanne, 
for  I  am  sure  they  enjoyed  our  visit  as  much  as  we  did. 
Mamma  had  taken  the  little  girls  some  chocolate-drops  and 
some  sugar-plums,  which  pleased  Jeanne  greatly. 

When  we  said  good-by  we  promised  to  see  them  again 
soon,  and  they  sent  kind  messages  to  Gustave  and  Berthe, 
as  well  as  kisses  to  baby.  The  Sisters  told  marnma  that 
Marie  and  Jeanne  would  be  ready  for  their  first  commu 
nion  during  the  coming  year,  since  M.  1'Abbe  Martin  could 
answer  for  their  religious  instruction. 

Mamma  has  promised  Babet  that  she  will  take  her 
too  to  the  convent,  which  makes  her  very  happy.  I  have 
been  trying  to  make  Babet  contented,  as  Marie  begged  me 
to  do  so,  but  it  is  really  hard  to  satisfy  every  one !  Babet 
asked  me  to  let  her  dress  me  and  wait  on  me,  to  which  I 
agreed,  when  suddenly  I  found  that  Josephine  was  quite 
angry  and  jealous,  because,  she  said,  I  was  deserting  her 
for  a  stranger !  Mademoiselle  says  that  in  a  little  while 
Josephine  will  be  more  reasonable,  but  in  the  mean  time 
I  must  be  patient  with  her. 


MARGUERITE    IN  'FRANCE.  109 

Thursday,  July  \st. 

We  have  really  reached  the  last  month  of  our  stay  in 
France  !  It  makes  me  feel  happy  and  sorry  at  the  same 
time  ;  happy  at  the  idea  of  this  much-desired  voyage  being 
so,  near,  sorry  to  leave  those  I  love  behind  me.  Gustave 
and  Marie,  I  shall  miss  them  so  much  !  Marie  says  that  she 
will  write  to  me,  but  that  will  not  give  me  the  pleasure 
that  seeing  her  always  gives  me. 

What  a  delightful  day  we  had  yesterday !  At  nine 
o'clock  mamma  went  out  in  a  carriage  and  promised  to 
brino-  Marie  and  Jeanne  back  with  her,  while  I  hurried  with 

O  ' 

my  lessons,  so  that  I  might  be  ready  to  see  tkern.  I  was  anx 
ious  too  to  have  good  marks,  for  it  was  the  end  of  the 
month,  and  I  was  thinking  of  the  poor-money.  I  shall 
have  three  francs  and  Stephanie  and  Berthe  forty  sous, 
but  we  shall  not  give  it  away  until  just  before  we  start.  I 
shall  be  really  sorry  to  leave  my  poor  people,  but  I  dare 
sav  I  shall  find  some  in  India. 

tt 

Marie  and  Jeanne  arrived  soon  after  ten  o'clock,  and 
papa,  who  has  not  seen  them  for  a  month,  thinks  they  have 
grown.  He  says  Marie  grows  prettier  every  day,  and 
Jeanne  is  much  improved.  I  can  see  that  she  is  much 
more  gentle  and  polite,  but  as  for  Marie  she  always  was, 
and  always  will  be,  an  angel ! 

Clara  came  to  make  us  a  visit  yesterday.  I  think  she 
felt  some  curiosity  to  see  Marie  again,  as  she  comes  here 
very  seldom  now.  Her  mother  takes  her  out  so  often  with 
her,  that  her  lessons  are  very  irregular  and  then  she  goes  a 
great  deal  to  the  theatre,  which  makes  her  unwilling  to 
get  up  early  to  study.  We  are  not  very  good  friends  now, 
but  I  try  to  remember  what  Mademoiselle  said  to  me,  and 
do  not  quarrel  with  her.  She  was  very  amiable  yesterday, 
even  to  Marie,  and  Mine,  de  Baldi  said  that  Marie  was 


110  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

lovely  "  with  her  creole  face,  and  figure  like  a  young  palm- 
tree."  It  made  me  like  Mine,  de  Baldi  better  to  hear  her 
speak  so  of  Marie.  It  was  so  warm  during  the  day  that 
we  could  not  go  out  to  walk,  but  Mademoiselle  and  I  drove 
to  the  convent,  with  Marie  and  Jeanne,  which  was  very 
pleasant. 

Friday,  July  2d. 

I  worked  very  hard  yesterday,  and  yet  I  did  not  get 
very  good  marks.  Mademoiselle  says 'I  shall  find  my  les 
sons  more  difficult  now  each  day  as  I  am  growing  older 
and  more  advanced. 

Yesterday  I  finished  my  Greek  history,  and  also  my 
large  map  of  France  in  departments.  I  was  quite  disap 
pointed  not  to  be  marked  "  very  well "  for  this,  but  Ma 
demoiselle  pointed  out  several  mi  stakes  which  I  had  made 
which  seemed  small  to  me,  but  which  she  said  made  an 
enormous  difference  in  a  map.  I  shall  finish  my  Roman 
history  in  a  few  days,  and  shall  not  begin  anything  new 
before  we  start,  as  we  go  so  soon.  Oh,  those  wicked  Boman 
emperors,. I  cannot  bear  to  think  of  them!  I  prefer  to 
think  only  of  that  good  Constantine,  whom  God  chose  to 
be  the  first  Christian  emperor.  And  then  the  martyrs 
who  were  the  true  soldiers  of  Christ !  Those  were  beauti 
ful  but  terrible  days !  How  happy  we  ought  to  be  now 
when  all  is  so  changed,  and  we  can  worship  God  as  we 
please,  without  hiding  ourselves  in  the  catacombs. 

Berth e  was  very  sweet  yesterday  when  Mademoiselle 
began  to  teach  her  the  New  Testament.  She  listened  very 
attentively  and  made  sometimes  such  queer  answers.  Ma 
demoiselle  told  her  of  Adam's  sin  and  of  the  punishment 
which  had  fallen  on  him  and  all  his  children,  and  asked 
her  how  it  was,  that  we  could  go  to  heaven,  if  we  only  re 
pented  us  of  our  sins,  and  tried  to  do  right.  Mademoiselle 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  Ill 

meant  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  reopened  heaven  to 
us,  but  Berthe  thought  for  some  time,  and  then  said  : 

"  Perhaps,  Mademoiselle,  we  are  not  relations  of  Adam 
now."  How  we  laughed  !  Stephanie  is  studying  Greek 
history,  but  she  does  not  make  much  progress,  for  she  is 
rather  lazy. 

Wednesday,  July  7th. 

Yesterday  I  had  the  first  ticket  for  my  analysis  in  cate 
chism,  which  made  the  fourth  time  I  had  had  it,  and  I 
was  much  pleased.  Aglae  Buffart  has  never  had  it  yet, 
although  she  has  tried  hard  for  it,  and  her  mother  often 
takes  notes  in  order  to  help  her.  Mademoiselle  never 
takes  notes  for  me,  but  still  I  know  that  I  should  not  be 
vain  of  making  a  good  analysis,  for  the  reason  I  write  eas 
ily  is  because  Mademoiselle  has  taken  so  much  pains  to 
teach  me.  I  feel  more  friendly  towards  Aglae  now  ever 
since  the  day  when  she  prompted  me  when  I  hesitated  in 
my  catechism.  I  shall  be  very  sorry  to  leave  the  class, 
and  M.  1'Abbe,  whom  I  like  so  much,  and  the  other  priests. 
They  have  all  been  very  good  to  me. 

Yesterday  poor  Babet  wras  quite  sick,  and  I  felt  really 
worried  about  her,  for  I  thought  if  Marie  had  known  she 
would  have  been  anxious.  But  to-day  the  good  old  crea 
ture  is  better,  and  Josephine  nurses  her  very  kindly,  so  I 
see  she  is  no  longer  jealous.  Mademoiselle  is  always  right. 

Friday,  July  Wi. 

Yesterday  was  mamma's  birthday,  and  generally  it  is  a 
happy  day  for  us,  but  this  year  we  all  felt  sad,  on  account 
of  the  news  we  received  the  evening  before.  Just  as  we 
were  at  .dinner  a  letter  was  brought  to  papa,  which  I 
thought  must  be  from  the  ministry,  for  it  was  not  like  an 
ordinary  letter.  As  we  had  been  expecting  every  day  the 


112  MAEGTIEKITE   IN   FRANCE. 

orders  to  start,  mamma  grew  very  pale  while  she  looked 
anxiously  at  papa,  who  was  reading  the  letter.  But  papa 
said  nothing,  and  no  one  liked  to  ask  any  questions.  For 
tunately  we  had  nearly  finished  dinner,  and  as  we  went 
into  the  parlor,  I  heard  papa  say  to  Mademoiselle :  "  It  is 
even  sooner  than  I  expected."  How  my  heart  began  to 
beat,  and  I  looked  at  mamma  to  see  if  she  had  heard,  but 
I  dare  say  she  suspected  all  the  time.  Presently  papa  took 
her  out  of  the  parlor,  and  for  a  long  time  they  were  shut 
up  in  their  own  room.  I  felt  so  impatient  that  I  answered 
very  crossly  when  Berthe  begged  me  to  play  with  her. 
As  soon  as  papa  came  back,  I  ran  to  him,  asking  what 
was  the  matter,  but  he  told  me  to  be  quiet,  and  begged 
Mile,  to  come  into  the  garden  with  him.  I  felt  ready  to 
cry. 

At  last  Mademoiselle  came  up  the  steps,  and  as  I  was 
standing  by  the  window,  I  heard  papa  say  :  "  So  pray  try 
to  make  her  more  reasonable."  Were  they  talking  about 
me  ?  But  when  Mademoiselle  said  :  "  You  must  wait  un 
til  the  first  shock  is  over,  then  you  will  see  that  she  is 
braver."  I  knew  they  were  speaking  of  mamma.  Ma 
demoiselle  went  at  once  to  mamma's  room,  while  papa  re 
mained  walking  up  and  down  alone.  I  did  not  dare  speak 
again  nor  Stephanie,  but  Berthe  ran  to  him,  and  coaxing 
and  playing  soon  made  him  laugh  with  her.  J  went  down 
the  steps  and  stood  near  them,  but  pretended  to  be  looking 
,  at  the  flowers. 

Presently  papa  called  me  and  asked  what  I  was  waiting 
for. 

"For  you,"  I  said. 

"  And  why  ? "  said  papa  with  a  certain  sly  smile,  which 
he  has  sometimes. 

"  So  that  I  should  have  my  turn.     You  have  been  talk- 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  113 

ing  to  mamma,  Mademoiselle  and  Berthe,  and  you  leave 

me  all  alone  without  a  word." 
"  And  what  am  I  to  talk  about  ?" 
"  Oh,  papa,  you  know  very  well,  the  big  letter ! " 
"  You  are  a  true  woman,  and  have  already  your  share 

of  the  curiosity  of  the  daughters  of  Eve." 

"  Oh,  papa,  you  should  not  say  so,  for  men  are  more 

curious  than  we,  I  am  sure.    Besides,  this  is  so  important !  " 
"  Yes,  it  is  important,  as  you  say ;  the  letter  told  me  that 

we  ought  to  be  at  Brest  on  the  21st,  for  the  very  latest ! 
"  Oh,  papa,  the  21st,  but  how  soon  !    And  we  thought  it 

would  not  be  before  the  31s;t !     And  how  does  mamma 

feel  about  it  ? "    papa  looked  very  grave  at  once,  and  said  : 
"  That  is  a  different  matter,  your  mother  will  tell  you 

herself  how  she  feels."    I  felt  sorry  to  have  asked  the 

question  which  I  suppose  made  me  look  grave,  so  that  in  a 

moment  papa  said  to  me : 

"  What  are  you  thinking  about,  that  you  are  so  serious? '' 
"  Of  a  great  many  things,  papa,  but  first  of  mamma." 
"  And  what  are  you  thinking  about  her  ? " 
"  I  am  afraid  that  she  is  very  unhappy,  and  I  would  like 

to  go  to  her." 

"Mile.  Valmy  is  with  her  now,  and  I  think  you  had 

better  wait  until  your  mamma  feels  calmer.      Are  you  not 

contented  to  stay  with  your  father?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed,  1  like ,  so  much  to  be-  with  you,  papa, 

but  when  you  seem  so  stern — " 
"  I.  suppose  I  frighten  you  ? " 
"  Not  always,  but  a  little  this  evening." 
Papa  tapped  me  on  the  head  with  a  smile,  and  said : 
"  Well,  do  not  be  afraid,  we  will  talk  together  pleasantly, 

since  you  are  so  fond  of  talking."     I  was  delighted,  and 

began  at  once  to  ask  all  sorts  of  questions  about  our  voyage. 


114:  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

Papa  told  me  that  onr  ship  was  called  the  Isere,  that  she 
was  a  good  vessel,  and  he  hoped  we  should  make  a  quick 
voyage.  He  said  too  that  we  should  stop  at  Rio  Janeiro  and 
at  Bourbon,  which  pleased  me  very  much,  for  there  we  shall 
see  my  uncle  Henry  at  Rio,  and  Marie's  uncle  Adrien  at 
Bourbon.  We  talked,  too,  a  little  about  poor  mamma 
and  her  sorrow  at  leaving  Gustave,  but  I  can  see  that  papa 
cannot  bear  to  say  miich  about  it. 

•  V/hen  I  went  to  bid  mamma  "  good-night,"  I  found  her 
in  bed,  and  looking  very  badly,  which  made  me  very  un 
happy.  This  morning  too  she  had  such  a  headache,  she 
could  not  get  up,  and  as  she  had  letters  to  write  and  orders 
to  give,  she  had  to  have  Mademoiselle  with  her,  so  I  had 
no  lessons.  I  went  to  pass  the  morning  with  Clara,  and 
had  a  very  pleasant  time.  . 

Monday,  July  \2th. 

This  seems  to  be  a  strange  sort  of  week,  for  I  have  no 
lessons,  and  hardly  time  to  write  my  Journal.  We  are  so 
busy  getting  ready  to  go  away,  trying  on  bonnets,  and 
dresses,  and  making  journeys  from  one  place  to  another 
to  buy  what  we  want.  Gustave  has  come  on  to  spend  this 
last  week  with  us,  although  papa  thought  it  would  only 
make  it  harder  for  mamma  to  leave  him.  But  she  begged 
so  hard  to  have  him  come !  He  is  very  useful  to  us,  and 
helps  us  very  nicely.  They  are  beginning  to-day  to  pack 
the  trunks,  only  leaving  out  what  we  are  using  every  day. 
Mamma  has  given  me  a  trunk  of  my  own,  in  which  I  can 
put  all  my  books  and  toys ;  I  hardly  know  where  to  begin, 
but  Babet  is  going  to  help  me. 

I  had  forgotten  to  say  that  Babet  is  to  go  with  us  as  far 
as  Bourbon,  where  we  shall  leave  her  with  Marie's  uncle. 
Mamma  says  she  is  only  too  glad  to  have  her,  as  neither 
nurse  nor  Josephine  can  make  up  their  minds  to  go  with 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  115 

us.  They  both  have  children  in  Paris,  so  are  not  willing 
to  go  so  far  from  them.  It  is  quite  natural,  but  we  all  feel 
badly  to  leave  them,  and  Stephanie  and  Berthe  cried  hard 
when  they  were  told  of  it. 

It  grieves  most  to  think  that  when  we  are  gone  Marie 
and  Jeanne  will  have  no  one  in  Paris  who  loves  them  but 
the  Sisters. 

Wednesday,  July  14tt7i. 

I  was  really  very  unhappy  yesterday  when  I  went  for 
the  last  time  to  the  catechism  class.  The  tears  would  fall 
almost  all  the  time  whenever  I  thought  of  good  M.  Mar 
tin  whom  I  should  not  see  again,  of  my  companions,  of 
the  dear  church  where  I  had  been  so  constantly !  Who 
could  tell  what  might  happen  to  me  ?  We  might  be  ship 
wrecked  and  swallowed  up  in  the  sea,  while  my  com 
panions  were  sitting  quietly  in  their  places,  repeating  their 
catechism !  But  it  was  wicked  for  me  to  think  so,  for 
surely  God  would  watch  over  us  on  the  sea  as  w.ell  as  on 
shore. 

I  shall  try  to  remember  always  what  good  M.  1'Abbe 
said  to  us,  for  perhaps  I  shall  not  hear  his  voice  again. 
After  catechism  Mademoiselle  took  me  to  say  good-by  to 
him,  and  he  gave  me  his  blessing,  which  made  me  very 
happy.  Mademoiselle  too  seemed  very  sorry  to  say  good- 
by  to  M.  Martin,  who  has  always  been  so  kind  to.  us  all, 
but  she  is  very  brave,  and  does  not  shed  any  tears. 

I  forgot  to  say  that  Aglae  Buffart  shook  hands  very 
pleasantly  with  me  when  I  said  good-by,  and  said  she  was 
sorry  she  should  not  see  me  again.  So  we  parted  good 
friends. 

Friday,  July  16th. 

I  have  not  a  great  deal  to  tell  about  Wednesday,  for  af 
ter  my  catechism  lesson  I  was  busy  almost  all  day  with 


116  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

packing.  I  came  very  near  getting  angry  with  Berthe,  who 
tried  to  help  me,  and  managed  to  break  one  of  my  pretty 
china  tea-cups.  Fortunately  Mademoiselle  carne  in  when 
she  heard  the  dispute,  and  so  I  stopped  at  once. 

Yesterday  I  went  to  spend  the  day  with  Clara,  for  as 
Mine,  de  Baldi  was  going  into  the  country  at  once,  I  should 
not  see  Clara  again.  I  had  determined  to  be  very  amiable 
to  Clara  for  this  last  visit,  but  after  all  we  did  not)  get 
on  well  together.  I  do  not  see  how  we  ever  could  have  been 
good  friends. 

Josephine  took  me  at  11  o'clock  to  the  rue  de  la  Paix, 
where  I  found  Clara  dressed  very  beautifully  to  receive 
me.  It  was  not  very  necessary,  for  I  am  already  wearing 
my  travelling  dresses,  which  are  of  course  very  plain  and 
simple.  I  tried  not  to  seem  worried  by  Clara's  dress,  and 
went  up  into  her  room  with  her,  where  she  wanted  to 
show  me  all  the  things  she  had  bought  to  take  in  the  coun 
try.  Such  a  quantity  of  ribbons,  sashes  and  fichus  for 
her  dresses,  and  then  all  sorts  of  games,  cards,  dominoes, 
and  such  things !  But  Clara  says  she  is  sure  she  will  be 
dreadfully  bored,  for  she  hates  the  country,  and  is  always 
ill  when  she  cannot  have  her  walk  on  the  boulevard,  or  the 
Champs-Elysees. 

"  But,  Clara,"  I  said,  "  why  do  you  go  to  the  country,  if 
both  your  mamma  and  you  dislike  it  ? " 

"  Oh,  it  is  the  proper  thing  to  do.  Everybody  goes,  and 
of  course  in  mamma's  position  she  must  do  like  other 
people. " 

"  Is  your  chateau  not  pleasant  that  you  are  so  discon 
tented  there  ? " 

"  On  the  contrary,  it  is  quite  magnificent,  but  mamma 
and  I  get  tired  of  it  in  a  fortnight." 

"  You  have  no  visitors  there  ? " 


MAKGUEKITE   IN   FRANCE.  117 

.  "  Oh,  yes,  we  have  a  good  many  neighbors,  but  they  do 
not  like  the  country  any  more  than  we  do,  so  we  are  all 
lored  together.  " 

"  But  it  must  be  pleasant  to  have  your  father  with  you. 
We  are  so  glad  to  have  papa  at  home  all  day." 

"  Well,  papa  does  not  amuse  us  very  much,  for  he  sleeps 
usually  when  he  is  in  the  house,  or  goes  out  hunting,  and 
leaves  us  alone." 

"  Have  you  no  poor  people  you  can  visit  ?  Mamma  has 
always  thought  she  could  do  so  much  good  in  the  country." 

"  I  think  mamma  does  quite  as  much  good  as  Mine. 
Guy  on  could,  for  she  gives  a  very  large  sum  of  money 
every  year  to  the  mayor  for  the  poor  people.  But  she 
could  not  visit  them,  you  know,  for  they  are  too  dirty." 

"  But,  Clara,  they  are  not  always  dirty ;  sometimes  indeed 
they  are  very  neat  and  clean." 

"  It  may  be,  but  do  not  talk  about  it  any  more ;  it  does 
not  amuse  me." 

"  Cannot  you  find  amusement  with  Mile.  Levins  ?  We 
always  enjoy  being  with  Mademoiselle." 

"  My  dear,  do  not  speak  of  Mile.  Levins,  for  she  is  weari 
ness  itself.  Besides,  I  will  tell  you  in  confidence  that  I 
hope  to  get  rid  of  her  before  we  go." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  You  need  not  look  so  horrified.  Mamma  cannot  bear 
Mile.  Levins  now,  and  I  want  some  rest  this  summer,  so  I 
shall  do  all  I  can  to  leave  her  left  behind  us." 

"  But  where  will  she  go  ?  " 

o 

"  Oh,  she  has  her  own  family,  and  will  be  much  better 
with  them  although  they  are  very  poor." 

"  Why,  Clara,  I  can  hardly  believe  it,  for  Mile.  Levins  is 
so  fond  of  you,  and  lias  done  so  much  for  you.  And  just 
because  you  do  not  like  her,  you  dismiss  her." 


118  MARGUERITE    IN    FRANCE. 

"  You  need  not  use  that  word,"  said  Clara  sharply,  "  it 
is  not  at  all  polite.  But  do  not  trouble  yourself.  Mamma 
knows  what  she  wants,  and  does  not  want  your  advice." 

"  Clara,  I  do  not  want  to  meddle,  but  when  you  spoke 
to  me  of  it,  I  could  only  say  what  I  thought." 

Just  at  this  moment  Mile.  Levins  came  in,  and  I  ran  to 
kiss  her,  feeling  really  grieved.  She  was  very  kind,  and 
asked  me  questions  about  our  voyage,  and  how  I  felt  about 
going  away.  .  I  told  her  I  wras  very  anxious  to  go,  and  yet 
at  the  last  I  felt  very  sorry  to  leave  my  friends. 

"  Why,  my  dear,"  said  Clara,  "  since  you  take  Mile. 
Valmy,  what  more  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  You  forget  that  we  leave  Gustave." 

"  And  Mile.  Marie  de  Laval ! ''  said  Clara  with  a  mock 
ing  smile. 

"  Yes,  I  shall  be  very  sorry  to  leave  Marie,  and  you  too, 
Clara." 

"  Oh,  indeed,  evenm<?." 

"  Certainly,  Clara,  for  although  I  may  love  Marie  best, 
that  does  not  prevent  me  from  liking  you,  for  we  are  such 
old  friends." 

"  Clara  likes  you  too,  my  child,"  said  Mile.  Levins,  "  and 
she  will  miss  you  more  than  you  think,  for  you  must  not 
always  judge  by  her  way  of  speaking."  Clara  looked  half 
angry  and  half  pleased,  but  I  was  very  glad  to  hear  this  of 
her. 

We  began  talking  about  my  lessons  and  what  I  should 
do  on  the  voyage,  when  Mile.  Levins  said  to  Clara : 

"  I  want  very  much  to  know  what  I  am  to  do  about  books 
and  maps  to  go  with  us  to  the  country.  Mme.  de  Baldi 
gives  me  no  answer  when  I  ask  if  she  really  wishes  you  to 
rest  this  summer.  In  such  a  case,  my  child,  it  is  quite  use 
less  for  me  to  go  with  you." 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  119 

Clara  looked  terribly  embarrassed,  and  I  did  not  know 
what  to  say.  Mile.  Levins  evidently  suspected  something, 
for  in  a  moment  she  asked  Clara  to  go  and  say  to  Mine,  de 
Baldi  that  she  would  like,  to  speak  to  her  at  once.  Clara 
came  back  looking  very  red,  and  told  Mile.  Levins  that  her 
mother  would  see  her ;  as  she  left  the  room,  Clara  said  to 
me: 

"  That  will  soon  be  settled,  for  mamma  is  angry.  She 
says  it  is  very  provoking  to  be  obliged  to  declare  her  inten 
tions  before  she  is  quite  ready."  I  felt  too  ashamed  for  her 
to  make  any  answer. 

We  were  still  in  Clara's  room  when  Mile.  Levins  left 
Mme.  de  Baldi ;  she  stopped  at  the  door  of  the  room  for  a 
moment  as  if  uncertain,  but  turned  and  came  up  to  where 
we  stood.  She  looked  at  Clara  so  sadly  that  the  tears  came 
into  my  eyes,  and  said : 

"  Poor  child,  you  now  have  what  you  wanted,  freedom 
from  my  authority.  I  trust  you  may  never  regret  send 
ing  me  away  from  you ;  may  God  bless  you  !  "  I  sobbed 
outright,  and  Clara,  with  a  sud'den  feeling  of  remorse, 
threw  her  arms  around  Mile.  Levins,  crying : 

"  Forgive  me  !  "  while  she  burst  into  tears.  Mile.  Levins 
kissed  her  and  replied : 

"  I  pity  you  too  much,  my  child,  not  to  forgive  you.  I 
can  only  pray  that  God  may  protect  you  and  make  you 
happy."  Then  she  turned  to  me  and  kissing  me  kindly, 
left  the  room.  Clara  really  seemed  very  sorry  for  what 
she  had  done,  and  looked  grave  for  some  time. 

Mile.  Levins  did  not  breakfast  with  us,  sending  word 
that  she  had  headache.  About  3  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon  Mine,  de  Baldi  took  Clara  and  me  out  with  her  in  the 
carriage,  and  we  went  all  along  the  boulevards,  so  that  I 
might  see  all  the  gayety  of  the  city,  Mme.  de  Baldi  said,  as 


120  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

I  was  so  soon  to  leave  it  all.  She  and  Clara  seemed  to 
pity  me  very  much  at  having  to  go  away  from  France,  and 
especially  from  Paris.  Mine,  de  Baldi  spoke  of  mamma 
as  making  "  such  a  terrible  sacrifice."  It  really  annoyed 
me  to  hear  her  speak  so,  when  it  is  only  natural  that  mamma 
should  go  with  papa. 

When  we  came  back  Clara  dressed  herself  still  more 
finely,  as  they  were  to  have  some  company  in  the  evening. 
Mile.  Levins  came  down  to  dinner,  and  I  was  quite  surprised 
to  see  how  amiable  Mine,  de  Baldi  was  to  her.  But  I  was 
not  much  pleased  with  Clara's  airs,  for  she  is  so  affected  in 
company  that  I  do  not  like  to  be  with  her.  I  felt  really 
ashamed  for  her  once  when  1  heard  a  gentleman  say  to  hert 
"  Well,  Mile.  Clara,  when  shall  we  have  the  pleasure  of  see 
ing  you  in  society  ? "  and  almost  immediately  after  he  said 
to  a  lady,  while  he  looked  at  Clara,  "Did  you  ever  see 
such  a  ridiculous  little  doll  ?  "  But  Clara  believes  all  the 
flattery,  and  tries  to  imitate  her  mother  in  everything. 

At  ten  o'clock  they  sent  a  carriage  for  me,  and  I  was 
really  glad  to  get  home,  it  had  seemed  such  a  long  day ! 

Saturday,  July  17 'ih. 

We  are  really  to  start  on  the  20th,  as  we  need  not  reach 
Brest  before  the  23d,  so  we  have  gained  two  days,  which 
pleases  us  all,  but  most  of  all  mamma. 

The  house  is  in  the  greatest  confusion,  nothing  but 
trunks  and  packages  to  be  seen  everywhere.  I  can  hardly 
find  a  place  even  to  write  my  journal.  It  rather  amuses 
me  to  have  everything  so  different,  but  I  think  I  should 
soon  get  tired  of  it. 

While  I  was  out  yesterday  with  Josephine  and  the  chil 
dren,  Mine.  Baldi  came  to  say  good-by  to  mamma.  She 
did  not  bring  Clara  with  her,  for  she  was  so  sensitive  she  . 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  121 

wanted  to  spare  her  so  much  agitation.  I  should  not  think 
it  would  have  hurt  Clara  to  kiss  me  once  more  !  Just  as 
I  came  in  Cecile  Dufon  arrived  for  a  last  visit.  She  really 
seemed  sorry  to  have  us  go,  and  cried  when  she  said  goOd- 

bj- 

After  every  one  was  gone,  Mademoiselle  called  me  into 
her  room,  and  told  me  of  something  which  gave  me  great 
pleasure,  although  it  seems  a  sad  thing  to  do.  She  has 
consented  to  take  me  with  her  when  she  goes  to  pay  her 
last  visit  to  the  graves  of  her  parents.  I  had  begged  to  go 
with  her,  but  she  would  not  consent  until  she  had  asked 
mamma  about  it.  We  'are  to  go  to-morrow  afternoon,  and 
then  afterwards  to  church  where  1  am  to  confess. 

Mademoiselle  prepared  me  yesterday  for  my  confession. 
In  making  my  examination,  I  found  many  faults,  although 
I  am  glad  1  had  had  110  attacks  of  rage. 


Monday,  July 

We  really  start  to-morrow,  and  this  is  the  last  time  I 
shall  write  in  my  journal  in  France  !  I  have  so  much  to 
say,  and  yet  very  little  time  to  write  ! 

On  Saturday  Mademoiselle  and  I  drove  in  a  carriage  to 
the  cemetery  of  Pere-la-Chaise.  What  a  sad  place  it  is, 
with  its  long-  streets  of  tombs,  really  a  city  of  the  dead  ! 
We  knelt  down  beside  the  tombs  where  the  parents  of 
Mademoiselle  were  buried,  and  remained  so  for  a  long 
time.  Mademoiselle  had  covered  her  face  with  her  hands, 
and  I  think  she  had  forgotten  that  I  was  there.  Sudden 
ly  she  raised  her  head,  and,  seeing  me,  said  :  "  My  poor 
child  !  Let  us  go  now."  Her  eyes  were  full  of  tears, 
which  troubled  me  so  much  that  I  threw  my  arms  around 
her  and  began  to  sob.  She  kissed  me,  and,  raising  her  eyes 
to  the  sky  above  us,  she  said  softly  :  "  They  are  looking 
6 


122  MAKGUEEITE   IN  TRANCE. 

down  upon  you,  Marguerite,  and  are  blessing  you  for  lov 
ing  their  child  so  truly."  While  Mademoiselle  was  say 
ing  a  last  prayer  I  picked  some  of  the  flowers  growing 
beside  the  tombs,  and  when  I  gave  them  to  her  after  we 
were  in  the  carriage  she  seemed  much  gratified. 

I  told  Gustave  in  the  evening  about  our  visit  to  the  ce 
metery,  and  he  told  Mademoiselle  that  he  would  go  to 
Pere-la-Chaise  from  time  to  time  and  see  that  they  cared 
for  the  graves  properly.  Mademoiselle  seemed  much 
touched  by  his  though tf  ulness. 

After  my  confession  was  over  I  said  good-by  to  the 
priest,  who  gave  me  his  blessing,  and  kindly  promised  to 
pray  for  me. 

My  dear  Marie  came  to  spend  the  day  with  me,  as  they 
were  allowed  the  holiday  on  account  of  our  leaving  so 
soon.  Marie  and  Jeanne  both  feel  very  sad  to  have  us 
go.  They  have  written  to  their  relations  in  Bourbon, 
and  wre  have  promised  to  tell  them  all  about  the  two 
sisters. 

When  they  said  good-by  to  mamma  Marie  could  not 
speak,  but  clung  to  her  silently,  while  Jeanne  cried  through 
her  tears  :  "  What  will  become  of  us  now  !  Every  one  is 
deserting  us." 

"  Oh,  my  pOor  children,  my  dear  little  girls,"  said  mamma, 
"  God  knows  how  gladly  I  would  have  been  a  mother  to 
you  !  "  How  very  pretty  Marie  is  now  !  She  is  almost 
as  tall  as  mamma,  and  is  so  slender  and  graceful.  When 
she  stands  she  always  bends  a  little  as  if  to  support  her 
self.  Her  face  is  oval,  and  pale  rather  than  dark,  and 
then  such  large  beautiful  eyes  ,like-  Stephanie's,  only  more 
expressive,  for  they  are  not  black.  But  what  I  love  best 
is  her  hair,  which  is  quite  dark,  and  yet  has  a  tinge  as  if 
the  sun  were  shining  on  it.  Every  one  says  she  is  lovely, 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  123 

and  she  is  more  than  that  to  me,  for  I  am  sure  she  must 
look  like  the  angels. 

We  had  a  long  talk  while  we  were  walking  in  the  gar 
den,  and  we  promised  to  write  each  other  a  sort  of  journal, 
telling  the  history  of  every  day.  Marie  said  that  she  was 
almost  afraid  to  ask  me  to  do  it,  but  I  was  glad  to  promise, 
and  asking  her  to  keep  the  sheets  I  would  send  her,  so 
that  I  could  read  them  over  when  I  was  older.  Poor 
Babet,  how  she  cries — oh,  dear,  here  is  Josephine,  who  says 
she  must  take  my  desk  to  put  in  the  trunk !  And  I  had 
so  much  to  say,  especially  about  Alberic,  who  came  to  bid 
us  good-by,  but  I  must  stop,  for  Josephine  is  calling 
again. 

BREST  (in  Brittany),  Thursday,  July  29t7i. 

As  mamma  opened  her  trunk  this  morning  I  begged 
her  to  let  me  have  my  desk  for  a  little  while.  I  have  such 
important  things  to  write  !  First  I  must  tell  what  is  the 
greatest,  greatest  pleasure  to  me  of  all  !  I  can  hardly  believe 
it,  and  I  feel  that  God  has  been  so  very,  very  good.  It  is  that 
Marie,  my  dear  sister,  is  to  go  with  us.  It  is  not  a  dream, 
but  the  truth,  for  she  and  Jeanne  are  to  arrive  to-morrow 
morning  at  6  o'clock.  I  can  hardly  sit  still  when  I  think 
of  it,  and  it  seems  so  long  to  wait ! 

I  have  seen  our  future  quarters,  and  they  are  ugly 
enough.  I  felt  quite  sick  too  in  coming  back  from  the 
vessel,  and  so  did  Stephanie,  and  it  is  not  a  pleasant  feel 
ing. 

Mamma  would  not  go  on  board  the  Isere ;  she  said  she 
should  see  it  quite  soon  enough.  She  is  so  sad  I  can  hard 
ly  bear  to  look  at  her,  and  nothing  comforts  her.  When  I 
speak  of  Gustave  she  says :  "  Oh  my  boy,  my  poor 
Gustave,  I  shall  never  have  strength  to  live  without  him." 

On  Monday  I  went  to  bid  Marie  good-by,  and  we  shed 


124  MAKGUEEITE   IN   FRANCE. 

a  great  many  tears.  When  Mademoiselle  wanted  to  take 
me  away  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  go.  I  stamped 
my  feet ;  one  would  have  said  I  was  in  a  rage  from  sorrow. 
Marie  tried  to  quiet  me,  but  I  felt  broken-hearted.  And 
then  I  could  not  kiss  her  on  account  of  the  grating  !  But 
all  that  sorrow  is  over,  I  hope. 

Then  we  had  sad  scenes  in  parting  from  Gustave,  and 
for  that  we  have  no  consolation.  I  could  hardly  sleep  all 
night,  for  we  were  to  get  up  very  early,  and  1  kept  think 
ing  of  Marie  and  Gustave,  and  of  Josephine  too.  Nurse 
had  left  us  in  the  morning,  and  baby  was  with  Mademoi 
selle,  who  had  Babet  to  help  her,  but  the  poor  little  fellow 
cried  a  great  deal  for  his  nurse,  and  seemed  to  feel  very 
desolate  without  her. 

We  were  all  dressed  at  4  o'clock,  and  then  what  a 
hurried  and  confused  time  we  had,  and  we  were  very  near 
being  too  late  for  the  diligence.  We  started  for  the  coach 
office  in  two  carriages,  for  we  made  a  large  party,  Gustave 
and  M.  Guer  being  with  us.  As  soon  as  we  arrived  papa 
and  Mademoiselle  went  to  attend  to  the  baggage,  while  all 
the  rest  of  us  went  with  mamma  into  the'  waiting-room. 
There  poor  mamma  began  to  cry,  while  she  held  Gustave 
in  her  arms,  and  gave  him  many  cautions.  Gustave  too 
could  not  keep  back  his  tears ;  it  seemed  really  cruel  to 
leave  him.  When  we  were  called  to  take  our  places, 
mamma  grew  so  pale  I  was  afraid  she  would  faint.  After 
we  were  all  seated  in  the  coach,  Gustave  still  stood  on  the 
step  holding  mamma's  hand,  and  saying:  "  Good-by,  dear 
est  mamma,  try  to  be  brave ;  "  to  papa  he  said  :  "  Do  not  be 
anxious  about  me,  papa  ;  you  shall  always  hear  good  news 
of  me."  How  good  and  manly  he  looked !  At  last  the 
conductor  came  to  close  the  door;  mamma  had  to  give 
Gustave  her  last  kiss,  and  as  we  drove  away  she  fell  back 


MARGUERITE    IN    FRANCE.  125 

fainting  and  looking  so  terribly  that  I  forgot  even  to  give 
Gustave  a  last  look.  I  shall  pray  every  day  to  God  to 
watch  over  him. 

To-day  again  at  4  o'clock  P.M. 

I  was  interrupted  by  quite  a  good  many  visitors,  as  papa 
knows  several  families  who  live  here.  Some  of  the  little 
girls  came  to  see  me,  and  very  queer  some  of  them  were. 
One  especially  was  almost  as  affected  as  Clara.  They 
seemed  very  much  afraid  that  I  should  think  they  did  not 
know  anything  about  Paris,  and  talked  of  a  visit  they  had 
made  there  two  years  ago.  They  wanted  me  to  show  them 
my  bonnet  to  see  how  it  was  different  from  theirs,  but  it 
was  packed  up,  and  my  little  e very-day  hood  was  not  worth 
showing. 

It  it  raining  now  so  that  we  cannot  go  out,  and  as  the 
children  are  playing  in  the  corridor,  and  mamma  and  Made 
moiselle  have  baby,  there  is  nothing  for  me  to  do  but 
write  my  journal. 

I  cannot  describe  our  journey  in  detail,  but  will  only  say 
that  some  part  of  it  was  through  a  very  pretty  country.  In 
Normandy  the  peasants  wear  such  a  pretty  dress ;  at  one 
place  we  passed  a  church  just  as  a  wedding-party  were 
coming  out,  and  it  made  quite  a  gay  scene.  I  do  not 
like  the  peasants  in  Brittany  so  much,  for  they  are  not  so 
neat,  and  their  long,  uncombed  hair  is  not  at  all  nice. 

It  is  very  amusing  to  travel,  but  when  one  sits  all 
night  in  the  coach  it  is  terribly  tiresome.  One  night  I  had 
a  dreadful  fright,  and  I  made  such  a  hubbub  that  I  wakened 
everybody.  It  was  very,  very  dark,  and  we  were  passing 
slowly  through  a  forest,  when  suddenly. I  saw  something 
white  beside  the  road,  which  began  to  move.  I  peered 
out  of  the  door,  and  saw  it  was  a  man  lying  down,  so  I 
pressed  papa's  foot  to  try  and  waken  him,  but  he  did 


126  MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE. 

not  move,  and  just  at  that  moment  I  heard  a  whistle,  and 
I  felt  sure  this  was  one  of  a  band  of  robbers  who  were 
going  to  attack  us,  so  I  screamed  as  loud  as  I  could, 
"  Kobbers,  robbers !  "  Everybody  waked  up  with  a  start ; 
mamma  almost  fainted,  and  Stephanie  and  Berthe  began 
to  cry.  When  Mademoiselle  and  papa  had  looked  out 
and  could  see  nothing,  they  all  began  to  ask  what  was 
the  matter.  I  was  so  frightened  I  could  hardly  tell,  and 
was  crying  and  laughing  at  the  same  time.  Papa  was 
really  angry  with  me,  and  told  me  I  was  a  little  goose  who 
had  had  a  nightmare,  but  I  am  sure  I  saw  a  robber. 

At  another  place  we  had  quite  a  fright  with  some  beg 
gars,  and  papa  said  they  were  more  like  brigands  than  my 
robber.  An  old  man  came  first  to  the  coach  to  beg,  and 
then  a  woman  with  some  children,  and  when  we  had 
given  them  some  money  a  crowd  of  other  beggars  appeared, 
all  clamoring  for  something.  They  opened  the  doors  of 
the '  coach,  climbed  on  the  steps,  and  looked  so  angry  and 
spoke  so  loud  that  we  were  all  afraid  of  them,  and  poor 
baby  began  to  cry.  Papa  came  and  tried  to  drive  them 
away,  but  they  only  abused  him  with  such  coarse  words 
that  he  had  to  call  the  conductor  who  soon  sent  them  all 
away.  It  was  quite  an  adventure,  and  we  talked  about  it 
for  some  time. 

We  arrived  at  Brest  in  the  evening  of  the  23d.  It 
looked  very  dark  and  gloomy  to  me,  with  its  high  walls 
and  fortifications.  I  do  not  like  the  convicts  either,  and 
you  see  them  working  everywhere.  We  are  staying  with 
Admiral  B.,  who  knows  papa,  and  very  kindly  insisted  that 
we  should  come  to  his  house..  There  are  some  of  the  con 
victs  working  in  the  garden,  who  always  want  to  talk  to 
us.  Berthe  took  quite  a  fancy  to  one  of  them,  and  she 
said  to  mamma :  "  How  polite  these  good  convicts  are,  mam- 


MARGUERITE   IN   FRANCE.  127 

ma!"  which  made  us  laugh.  But  I  not  like  them,  for  I 
feel  they  have  done  something  very  bad,  and  it  makes  me 
afraid  of  them. 

But  I  have  not  yet  told  how  it  happens  that  Marie  and 
Jeanne  are  to  go  with  us.  The  day  after  we  arrived  at 
Brest  mamma  received  a  letter  from  the  big  cousin  en 
closing  one  which  he  had  just  received  from  Bourbon^, 
from  Marie's  uncle.  M.  de  la  Caze  had  just  heard  of 
M.  de  Laval's  death,  and  wrote  to  thank  the  cousin  for 
what  he  had  done  for  the  children.  But  he  said  he  wished 
above  all  things  to  have  his  dear  nieces  come  to  him,  that  he 

O  / 

and  his  wife  might  act  as  father  and  mother  to  them.  That 
he  would  like  to  have  them  come  out  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  if  there  wras  still  time  he  begged  that  they  might  be 
put  under  the  care  of  that  "good  and  lovely  Mine.  Guyon," 
of  whom  Marie  and  Jeanne  wrote  with  so  much  affection. 
M.  de  la  Caze  hoped  that  mamma  and  papa  would  not  re 
fuse  the  charge,  since  they  already  loved  these  poor 
orphans.  He  wished  Alberic  to  remain  in  France  to  finish 
his  education.  The  big  cousin  begged  that  mamma  would 
write  at  once,  to  say  if  there  was  still  time  for  him  to 
bring  Marie  and  Jeanne  to  Brest  before  we  sailed,  and  if 
there  was  room  for  them  on  the  ship.  Mamma  replied  the 
same  day,  urging  him  to  bring  the  little  girls,  and  promis 
ing  that  all  should  be  arranged  for  their  comfort.  So  we 
are  expecting  them  to-morrow  morning,  but  if  they  do  not 
reach  here  then  they  will  be  too  late !  Oh,  I  shall  pray 
to  God  to  bring  them  in  time. 


MARGUERITE   AT    SEA. 


MAKGTJEKITE  AT   SEA. 


Sunday,  August  IStli— ON  BOARD  THE  ISERE. 
WANT  very  much  to  write  something  in  my 
Journal  to-day,  but  I  find  it  very  hard  work.  The 
ship  rolls  so  that  I  am  afraid  every  moment  that 
my  desk  will  slip  off  my  knees,  or  the  ink  dash  over  the 
edge  of  my  inkstand.  It  would  make  me  very  unhappy 
to  get  ink  on  the  pretty  dress  which  I  have  put  on  this 
morning,  for  it  is  a  charming  blue  and  white  muslin,  and 
looks  very  fresh  and  nice. 

I  have  some  important  things  to  say  if  I  can  only  man 
age  to  write,  but  this  rolling  makes  strange  writing.  We 
have  been  on  board  sixteen  days,  and  I  have  done  nothing, 
but  I  have  been  terribly  sea-sick.  Indeed  we  have  made 
quite  an  hospital.  Baby  has  not  cared,  but  has  been  very 
happy,  nor  papa,  but  then  he  is  a  sailor.  Poor  mamma  has 
suffered  very  much  ;  she  was  out  of  her  berth  yesterday  for 
the  first  time,  and  happily  was  able  to  go  to  Mass  this 
morning.  We  are  so  glad  to  have  Mass  on  board  !  It  is 
very  seldom  that  it  can  be  so,  but  as  we  have  three  priests 
on  board,  who  are.  going  as  missionaries  to  China,  the 
captain  has  given  them  permission  to  hold  Mass  every 
Sunday  in  the  cabin.  We  had  a  great  fright  with  Berthe 
in  the  midst  of  the  service,  for  the  chair  on  which  she  was 
kneeling  suddenly  tipped  as  the  vessel  rolled,  and  away 


132  MAKGUEKITE   AT    SEA. 

%  . 

she  went  to  the  other  end  of  the  room,  with  the  chair  roll 
ing  over  her.  She  screamed,  and  mamma  ran  to  pick  her 
up,  but  it  made  a  sad  disturbance  in  the  service. 


Monday,  August 

Oh  dear,  my  poor  blue  dress  !  It  is  quite  spoiled,  and  I 
am  very  unhappy  about  it.  Just  as  I  was  writing  the  last 
word  yesterday,  the  vessel  gave  a  great  roll,  and  away  I 
went,  desk  and  all,  to  the  other  end  of  the  deck.  I  was  so 
afraid  of  falling  between  decks  that  I  caught  hold  of  the 
Sisters'  door,  my  desk  slipped,  and  in  a  moment  the  ink  was 
all  over  my  dress.  I  thought  mamma  would  scold  me,  but 
when  she  saw  my  distress  she  did  not  say  a  word.  To-day 
the  sea  is  calmer,  and  I  have  taken  great  care  to  fasten  my 
table  to  the  door  of  our  state-room,  and  have  only  put  a 
few  drops  of  ink  in  my  inkstand. 

We  have  our  rooms  on  the  second  deck,  which  runs  the 
whole  length  of  the  vessel,  and  where  they  have  made  two  fine 
rooms  expressly  for  us,  one  for  the  Sisters  opposite,  and 
a  few  others.  I  call  the  rooms  fine,  because  every  one  says 
they  are,  but  to  me  they  seem  very  little  and  ugly.  Papa 
has  a  room  on  the  upper-deck  above  us,  but  not  very  far 
away.  Mamma  has  one  room,  with  Stephanie,  Berthe, 
Babet  and  baby,  while  I  am  in  a  room  with  Mademoiselle, 
Marie  and  Jeanne.  We  are  very  crqwded,  but  still  very 
happy  to  have  the  two  Sisters. 

Tuesday,  August  \ltti. 

I  have  not  yet  told  about  Marie  and  Jeanne  when  they 
joined  us  at  Brest,  although  I  remember  it  so  well.  I 
begged  mamma  so  earnestly  to  let  me  go  with  papa  to  meet 
them  that  she  consented,  and  I  got  up  only  too  gladly  at 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning.  I  thought  the  horrid  coach 
would  never  arrive,  I  was  so  impatient,  and  when  it  did, 


MARGUERITE   AT    SEA..  133 

come  I  was  so  frightened  lest  they  should  not  be  in  it.  I 
could  not  see  them  at  the  windows,  and  grew  very  pale, 
when  suddenly  some  one  called  out :  "  Marguerite !  Mar 
guerite  !  here  we  are !  "  and  I  knew  it  was  Marie's  voice. 

I  felt  almost  too  happy  when  I  saw  them  get  out,  and 
they  seemed  very  glad  too,  but  I  know  they  must  have  felt 
unhappy  about  leaving  Alberic.  Marie  and  I  both  have 
a  brother  to  miss  and  we  can  both  write  to  them. 

When  we  reached  the  Admiral's  house,  with  Marie  and 
Jeanne  and  the  big  cousin,  such  cries  of  joy  as  we  heard  ! 
Stephanie  and  Berthe  rushed  clown  stairs,  and  Babet  came 
to  meet  us,  crying  and  laughing  at  the  same  time.  I  think 
too  that  it  comforted  mamma  a  little  to  see  the  two  sisters. 
It  makes  Marie  so  happy  to  be  with  mamma,  as  I  can  see, 
although  she  does  not  say  much  about  it.  I  am  sorry  to 
think  that  we  shall  have  to  leave  the  two  sisters  at  Bourbon, 
still  I  would  rather  have  Marie  in  Bourbon  than  in  France, 
as  she  will  not  be  so  far  from  us. 

Wednesday,  August  ISth. 

I  was  obliged  to  stop  yesterday, as  Mademoiselle  called 
me  to  come  and  say  my  catechism.  She  wants  me  to  say 
it  every  Tiiesday  as  if  I  were  still  in  Paris,  and  Marie  and 
Jeanne  have  agreed  to  join  me.  Mademoiselle  spoke  to  us 
so  beautifully  after  the  lesson  was  over ;  I  hope  I  shall 
always  remember  her  words,  when  I  look  at  the  sea. 

"  How  is  it,  my  dear  children,"  she  said,  "  that  we  can  live 
in  the  presence  of  God,  without  lifting  our  hearts  to  Him  at 
every  moment.  Here  on  the  sea  especially  everything 
shows  His  greatness  and  power  and  our  weakness.  You 
love  this  great  expanse  of  water,  that  reflects  so  beauti 
fully  the  blue  sky  above  it,  but  does  it  not  also  reflect  a 
portion  of  the  glory  of  God  ?  When  your  eyes  wander 
over  it,  do  you  not  feel  that  He  who  created  it,  is  indeed 


134  MARGUERITE    AT    SEA. 

infinite,  eternal, without  being  and  without  end?  When 
you  see  its  great  waves  rise  before  us,  and  hear  the  whist 
ling  wind,  which  swells  our  sails  and  carries  us  rapidly 
forward,  then  you  can  understand  His  immense  power,  and 
pray  for  His  protection.  But  when,  as  to-day,  you  see 
this  great  sea,  calm-  and  blue,  with  its  waves  sleeping  as 
it  were,  then  you  must  praise  Him  for  His  goodness,  and 
rejoice  in  this  great  beauty  before  you  ? "  Mademoiselle 
spoke  with  so  much  feeling  that  it  seemed  as  if  her  -voice 
went  straight  to  our  hearts.  I  shall  often  think  of  what 
she  said. 

The  sea  is  very  beautiful  to  me  now,  but  when  I  first 
saw  it,  I  was  disappointed.  But  then  in  the  harbor  at 
Brest,  it  was  very  different,  and  when  I  first  came  on 
board  I  was  so  sick,  and  there  was  so  many  bad  smells, 
that  I  could  not  think  anything  pleasant.  Now  I  am  quite 
accustomed  to  the  rolling,  and  can  run  and  jump  as  I 
please  on  the  deck  with  the  little  ones.  I  hear  them  there 
now,  so  as  Marie  is  with  mamma  I  will  join  them. 

Friday,  August  20t7u 

I  spoke  the  other  day  of  going  to  play  with  the  children, 
and  now  I  must  tell  what  happened,  although  it  is  not 
a  very  pleasant  story  about  myself. 

As  1  was  going  up  the  ladder  to  the  deck  with  Stephanie, 
Berthe  and  Jeanne,  the  little  Boiitems  called  out  that  they 
were  coining  to  play  with  us.  But  I  believe  I  have  never 
Baid  that  they  were  on  the  vessel.  I  must  really  put  down 
the  names  of  our  passengers,  so  I  shall  remember  them  by 
and  by.  There  are  fourteen,  without  counting  our  party. 
First  the  three  priests,  M.  Yerrier,  M.  Laurent,  and  M. 
Bertrand ;  then  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph,  Sister  Alexis, 
Sister  llonorine,  Sister  Rosalie,  Sister  Marceline,  and 


MAKGUEKITE    AT    SEA  135 

Sister  Stephanie  ;  then  an  old  gentleman  with  white  hair, 
named  M.  Leblond,  and  lastly  Mme.  Bontems,  with  four 
children — Adele,  who  is  ten  years  old,  Laura,  Jules  and 
Suzanne.  Mme.  Bontems  is  a  widow,  and  as  her  husband 
has  friends  in  Bourbon,  she  is  going  out  there  to  try  and 
support  her  children.  I  believe  she  means  to  establish  her 
self  in  a  shop.  I  do  not  like  Mine.  -Bontems  or  Adele,  but 
it  seems  ill-natured  to  say  so,  Adele  is  a  great  tyrant  with 
her  brothers  and  sisters,  and  her  mother  lets  her  do  just 
as  she  likes,  so  we  have  already  had  several  disputes. 

Yesterday  we  began  to  jump  the  rope.  Adele  and  Jeanne 
turned  the  rope,  and  Stephanie  and  I  jumped  together. 
The  sailors  were  looking  at  us,  which  pleased  me,  for  I 
like  them  so  much.  I  wanted  to  count  one  hundred  with 
out  missing,  when  suddenly  Adele  tried  to  jump  into  my 
place.  I  asked  her  to  wait  a  moment,  but  she  grew  angry 
and  began  to  turn  the  rope  very  badly.  That  put  me  in  a 
rage,  and  I  began  to  say  very  disagreeable  things  to  Adele, 
when  at  that  moment  Mademoiselle  came  up  and  told  me 
I  had  better  go  down  to  marnma,  and  let  Marie  come  up 
to  get  some  fresh  air.  I  understood  why  she  wanted  me 
to  go,  and  at  this  moment  Adele  called  out : 

"Yes, you  had  better  go,  and  get  quiet." 

At  this  I  turned  around  and  told  her  she  was  a  fool, 
which  was  very  impolite,  but  I  was  too  angry  to  think 
what  I  was  saying.  I  told  Stephanie  and  Berthe  in  Eng 
lish  that  I  forbid  them  playing  with  Adele  or  Laura,  and 
that  if  they  did  I  would  not  lend  them  my  cards  in  the 
evening.  They  did  not  dare  to  disobey  me,  so  they  left 
the  little  Bontems  and  went  off  with  Jeanne. 

Mademoiselle  was  very  much  displeased  with  me,  and 
pointed  out  to  me  how  very  wrong  I  was.  She  showed 
me  that  the  cause  of  all  this  quarrelling  is  mv  self-love. 


136  MARGUERITE   AT    SEA. 

and  I  want  to  rule  every  one,  hut  will  not  be  ruled  myself. 
I  am  afraid  it  is  all  true,  and  I  am  very  much  ashamed. 

It  is  just  a  month  since  we  said  good-bye  to  Gustave.  1 
found  mamma  crying  this  morning,  and  I  could  not  con- 
Bole  her.  i 

Monday,  August  23rd.     :, 

Yesterday,  after  Mass  was  over,  Marie  and  I  tried  to 
arrange  our  state-room  differently,  both  to  amuse  ourselves 
and  to  make  it  a  little' more  convenient.  We  moved  the 
large  box  of  books  away  from  the  port-hole  where  it 
seemed  to  be  a  little  damp,  and  put  it  next  our  berths,  so 
that  I  can  step  on  it  in  order  to  climb  into  my  berth.  It 
seems  very  funny  to  have  a  bed  up  in  the  air,  but  it  amuses 
both  Jeanne  and  me  very  much.  Mademoiselle  and  Marie 
are  below,  one  next  mamma's  room,  and  the  other  opposite, 
and  Jeanne  and  I  are  over  their  heads. 

Our  state-room  is  a  queer -looking  place,  and  yet  every 
body  thinks  we  are  very  nicely  arranged.  The  port-hole 
is  a  window  without  glass,  and  when  it  is  closed  to  keep 
out  the  water  we  have  no  light  but  through  the  door. 
Fortunately  we  have  a  lamp  fastened  to  the  top  of  the 
room  which  cannot  be  upset,  and  under  it  a  little  table 
fastened  too.  We  have  another  table  for  a  wash-stand, 
which  can  be  taken  down  if  we  want  more  room.  There 
are  also  shelves  for  our  things,  and  hooks  in  the  corner, 
where  we  can  hang  up  our  dresses  at  night.  Our  beds 
•are  against  the  wall  which  separates  our  room  from  the 
deck,  and  they  look  like  two  large  wardrobes  with  shelves, 
but  no  doors ;  the  shelves  are  our  berths.  They  have 
small  mattresses  and  pillows,  and  a  sort  of  railing  to  keep 
us  from  tumbling  out  when  the  sea  is  rough.  We  are  not 
very  uncomfortable,  but  have  sometimes  funny  scenes  at 
night  when  we  are  clambering  into  bed,  and  we  see  Ste- 


MARGUERITE   AT    SEA.  137 

phanie  and  Berthe  doing  the  same  thing  in  mamma's 
room,  for  she  leaves  the  door  open  between  the  rooms 
after  we  go  to  bed.  '  Mamma's  room  is  rather  larger  than 
ours,  and  somewhat  nicer,  and  when  the  door  is  open  we 
look  quite  well. 

The  poor  Sisters  are  all  five  of  them  in  a  room  no 
larger  than  mamma's,  and  it  is  not  nearly  as  well  arranged 
as  ours,  as  it  has  no  shelves  or  hooks.  The  Sisters  are  so 
good  and  kind  to  every  one.  When  we  were  all  so  sea 
sick  they  came  out  and  helped  Mademoiselle  to  take  care 
of  us,  although  they  did  not  feel  very  well  themselves. 
And  every  morning  Sister  Ilonorine  goes  to  help  Mine. 
Bontems  (who  has  no  servant)  with  the  children,  and  also 
assists  Adele  to  arrange  their  state-room. 

But  now  I  must  stop  and  go  to  see  mamma, who  is  not 
very  well  to-day. 

Tuesday,  August  24th. 

I  think  I  must  describe  the  way  in  which  we  pass  our 
days,  for  by-and-by  these  details  will  interest  me.  We 
get  up  at  seven  o'clock,  and  as  soon  as  we  are  dressed  we 
have  prayers  together.  Then  we  put  our  room  in  order, 
BO  that  our  cabin-boy  can  sweep  it,  while  we  take  a  little 
walk  on  the  deck. 

At  half-past  eight  we  come  down  again  and  establish 
ourselves  for  our  lessons,  which  keep  us  until  ten  o'clock. 

At  that  time  the  head-steward  comes  to  tell  us  that 
breakfast  is  ready,  and  we  all  go  up  into  the  pretty  little 
dining-room,  where  the  captain  has  his  meals.  He  is 
very  polite  and  pleasant  to  us,  and  he  has  really  very 
nice  breakfasts  and  dinners.  We  take  our  meals  with  the 
captain  on  account  of  papa's  rank,  while  the  other  pas 
sengers  sit  with  the  officers  of  the  ship,  in  another  room. 
They  have  quite  a  large  tableful  of  people,  and  I  often 


138  MARGUERITE    AT    SEA. 

like  to  peep  at  them,  as  we  go  to  our  meals,  but  it  is 
pleasanter  to  have  only  our  own  family  at  table. 

After  breakfast  mamma  stays  talking  with  the  captain 
and  papa,  and  we  walk  a  little  on  the  deck,  if  it  is  not  too 
warm.  At  one  o'clock  we  begin  to  work  again  with 
Mademoiselle  and  do  not  stop  until  three  o'clock ;  then  I 
wri-te  my  Journal,  and  Marie  a  sort  of  Journal-letter  for 
Alberic.  We  have  our  English  lesson  in  the  afternoon, 
and  Mademoiselle  makes  a  rule,  that  we  shall  speak  only 
English  among  ourselves,  until  we  have'  finished  our 
lessons. 

At  four  o'clock  we  go  on  deck,  where  we  stay  until  din 
ner-time,  which  is  at  five  o'clock.  At  half-past  eight  we 
children  go  to  bed,  while  mamma  and  Mademoiselle  sit  up 
much  lateT,  with  their  books  and  work. 

It  amuses  me  very  much  to  see  the  sailors,  soldiers  and 
cabin-boys  take  their  meals,  or  mess  as  they  call  it.  They 
have  soup  or  beans  served  in  large  platters,  and  instead  of 
sitting  down  to  table,  I  do  not  know  how  many  men  seat 
themselves  in  groups  around  each  platter,  into  which 
they  plunge  their  spoons  or  forks.  It  is  a  funny  sight,  so 
many  brown-faced  men  sitting  with  crossed  legs  around 
these  steaming  platters.  I  wonder  if  what  they  have  to 
eat  is  good.  I  asked  our  boy  Georget  about  the  soup,  and 
he  said  it  was  very  different  from  what  the  captain  had. 
Poor  little  fellow !  he  is  only  twelve  years  old,  and  does 
not  look  very  strong.  Marie  and  I  always  keep  a  little  of 
our  dessert  for  him,  which  pleases  him  very  much. 

Wednesday,  August  25th. 

I  did  not  say  my  catechism  very  well  yesterday,  so  that 
Mademoiselle  was  not  very  well  satisfied,  but  I  have  prom 
ised  to  do  better  next  week.  She  gave  us  a  little  lecture 


MARGUERITE    AT   SEA.  139 

upon  "  the  love  we  should  show  towards  our  neighbor." 
I  suppose  she  sees  that  I  do  not  like  Adele,  'aud  even 
Marie  finds  it  hard  to  be  pleasant  to  her. 

She  reminded  us  of  our  Saviour's  words,  "  By  this  shall 
all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one 
towards  another."  She  then  showed  us  that  there  was  no 
merit  .in  loving  those  who  loved  us  and  were  kind  to  us, 
but  that  our  Lord  meant  us  to  love  every  one.  She  said 
that  when  we  met  one  of  our  little  companions  who  was 
not  pleasant  to  us,  if,  instead  of  treating  her  with  coldness, 
and  avoiding  her  as  much  as  possible,  we  should  try  to 
find  out  her  good  qualities  and  excuse  her  faults,  we  should 
then  be  acting  as  young  Christians  in  God's  sight,  and  lie 
would  surely  reward  us  for  our  efforts.  We  were  all  much 
touched  by  Mademoiselle's  words,  and  promised  to  be  more 
amiable  towards  Adele.  I  feel  that  I  am  more  to  blame 
than  Marie,  although  she  acknowledges  she  has  been 
wrong  too  in  never  speaking  to  Adele  if  she  could  help 
it,  so  that  Mine.  Bontems  thinks  her  very  proud. 

Yesterday  afternoon  we  asked  Adele  and  Laura  to  come 
and  play  on  the  deck  with  us,  and  this  morning  Marie  and 
I  went  to  Mine.  Bontems'  room  to  ask  after  little  Suzanne, 
who  was  not  very  well. 

Thursday,  Augmt  26t7i. 

Nothing  very  extraordinary  happened  yesterday,  except 
that  the  sea  was  a  little  rough,  which  made  us  all  a  little 
sea-sick.  It  seems  strange  that  we  cannot  get  accustomed 
to  the  rolling  of. the  ship.  I  think  we. should  not  be  so 
eick  if  they  did  not  wash  the  decks  so  constantly  with  the 
sea-water,  which  smells  so  badly.  If  I  let  fall  the  least 
.  drop  of  ink,  or  overturn  anything,  in  a  moment  we  hear 
"  Take  the  swabs ! "  and  then  comes  a  crowd  of  sailors  to 


140  MAKGUEKITE    AT    SEA. 

wash  the  decks  in  all  directions.  It  is  very  tiresome,  but 
papa  says  it  is  very  necessary,  for  there  are  so  many  people 
on  board  the  Isere  that  if  the  captain  were  not  very  par 
ticular,  it  would"  soon  be  dirty,  and  we  should  have  sick 
ness. 

But  I  have  something  to  tell  about  this  morning.  As  it 
was  very  warm  in  our  state-room,  Mademoiselle  "rose  quite 
early,  and  opening  the  port-hole,  sat  down  to  write.  I 
opened  my  eyes  pretty  soon,  and  saw  through  the  port-hole 
something  red,  which  startled  me  so  much  that  I  cried  out. 
Mademoiselle  looked  up,  and  exclaimed,  "  a  vessel !  "  and 
then,  what  a  commotion  !  We  all  slipped  on  our  dressing- 
gowns,  and  crowded  to  the  port-hole  to  look  at  the  vessel, 
which  was  quite  close  to  us.  I  could  even  see  a  little  girl 
looking  out  of  a  port-hole  at  us,  and  I  called  out  "  good 
morning  "  to  her  as  loud  as  I  could,  but  I  knew  she  could 
not  hear  me,  although  she  made  signs  to  us  with  her  hands. 
It  was  such  a  pleasure  to  see  something  besides  fish  and 
birds. 

Mademoiselle  had  gone  on  deck,  and  came  back  with 
such  good  news !  The  vessel  was  the  Leonie,  bound  to 
France,  coming  from'  India,  and  the  captain  offered  to 
take  our  letters.  Mamma  seized  a  pen  to  write  to  Gustave, 
as  I  did  too,  while  Marie  and  Jeanne  closed  the  letters 
that  they  had  written  to  Alberic.  How  happy  they  will 
be  to  hear  from  us !  The  two  captains  talked  to  each 
other  through  their  trumpets,  and  the  captain  of  the 
Leonie  said  he  had  been  sixteen  days  without  making  any 
head-way,  having  been  becalmed.  How  tedious  it  will  be 
if  we  have  the  same  experience  ! 

Friday,  August  21t7i. 
The  sea  is  still  quite  rough,  which  has  caused  something 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  141 

that  touched  me  very  much,  and  makes  me  feel  so  proud 
of  my  papa ! 

I  was  walking  on  the  deck  this  morning  with  baby, 
holding  one  little  hand,  and  Babet  the  other,  while  the 
little  fellow  watched  the  water  with  his  great  eyes,  laugh 
ing  merrily  whenever  the  vessel  turned,  so  that  we  could 
see  the  waves  like  a  great  wall  above  us. 

As  we  were  walking  in  this  way,  I  noticed  an  old  sailor, 
who  was  sitting  on  a  coil  of  rope  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
mast.  He  was  looking  at  us,  and  seemed  as  if  he  wanted 
to  speak  to  us  ;  but  mamma  does  not  like  me  to  talk  to 
the  sailors,  and  besides  I  felt  rather  disgusted  with  him, 
for  he  was  taking  tobacco  out  of  a  dirty  little  box  and 
chewing  it,  which  I  do  not  like  at  all. 

Once  when  we  turned  around,  the  old  man  was  gone ;  but 
at  the  next  turn  he  was  before  us,  shaking  something 
which  he  held  in  his  hand  to  amuse  baby.  It  was  a  little 
rattle,  made  of  sharks'  bones,  with  some  little  bells  which 
jingled  and  pleased  baby  so  much  that  he  stretched  out 
his  hands  for  it  at  once.  As  the  old  sailor  gave  it  to  him, 
and  said  he  had  made  it  himself,  I  thanked  him,  and 
said : 

"You  are  very  good  to  my  little  brother.  Did  you 
make  it  expressly  for  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,  indeed  ;  and  I  wish  I  could  make  other  things 
for  him  and  for  all  of  you." 

"  Oh, -thank  you.  You  think  baby  very  sweet,  do  you 
not  ? " 

"  He  is  sweet  enough,  the  little  marmot.  The  son  of  a 
king  could  not  be  sweeter.  He  will  be  admiral  some  day. 
That  is  what  we  all  call  him — the  little  admiral" 

That  made  me  laugh  ;  but  I  said  : 

"  But  he  cannot  be  more  than  his  father." 


142  MARGUERITE    AT   SEA. 

"  Oh,  your  father  will  be  admiral ;  he  ought  to  be  al 
ready  if  they  went  by  merit." 

"  Do  you  know  papa,  then  ? " 

"  Ah,  old  Mario  knows  him  well  enough  !  Ask  him  if 
he  does  not  remember  me  a  bit.  Has  he  never  spoken  to 
you  about  me  by  accident  ?  " 

"No.,  never." 

"  Oh,  the  brave  man !  I  remembered  him  well.  There 
is  nothing  now  like  these  old  sea-wolves.  They  save  the 
life  of  one  man,  and  have  twenty-five  lashes  given  to 
another,  and  say  not  a  word  about  it !  " 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,  sir,"  I  said,  c;  for  my  father 
is  not  at  all  like  a  wolf.  Has  he  saved  some  one's  life  ? 
I  do  not  believe  he  ever  had  any  one  beaten." 

"Well,  miss,"  said  Mario,  "  as  for  the  beating,  that  is 
rjght  enough  in  its  way ;  one  must  keep  order  ;  but  your 
papa  did  save  some  one's  life,  and  the  some  one  never  forgot 
it.  If  you  will  let  me,  I  will  tell  the  little  miss  about  it." 

"  Oh,  yes.     I  like  a  story  so  much." 

"  Well,  then,  it  was  on  the  20th  of  January,  fifteen  years 
ago,  that  it  happened,  and  your  papa  was  only  an  ensign 
on  board  the  ship.  But  we  sailors  all  liked  him,  and  re 
spected  him  too,  for  he  made  us  obey  him.  Ha  !  he  was 
worth  more  than  this  captain  of  ours,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  But,  Mario,  I  think  the  captain  is  very  kind  and  pleas 
ant." 

"  Oh,  yes,  kind  enough  for  such  a  pretty  lady  as  your 
mamma  ;  why  not  ? " 

"  But  he  is  kind  to  me  too." 

"  I  dare  say,  miss,  for,  excuse  me,  you  are  pretty  enough, 
too.''  I  was  quite  ashamed  to  hear  him  say  this,  so  I  asked 
him  to  go  on  with  his  story. 

•"  Well,"  he  said,  "  on  the  20th  of  January,  at  eight  in 


MAKGUEEITE   AT   SEA.  .         143 

the  evening,  dark  as  pitch,  we  were  running  before  a 
pretty  breeze,  which  you  would  have  found  a  little  stiff, 
Miss  Marguerite,  but  we  sailors  in  the  Yirginie  only  laughed 
at  it.  Your  papa  had  just  finished  his  watch,  which  was 
lucky  enough  for  the  •  poor  fellow  who  dropped  into  the 
sea  at  the  moment  from  no  one  knows  how  great  a  height. 
He  was  lashing  a  spar,  when  down  he  went  before  you 
could  count  two  head  first  into  the  salt  water.  It  would 
soon  have  been  all  over  for  the  poor  fellow,  for  the  Yir- 
ginie  thought  nothing  of  losing  a  man,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
the  brave  young  officer.  In  a  minute,  off  went  your  father's 
uniform,  and'  faith  !  there  he  was  in  the  black  stormy 
sea !  At  once  every  one  shouted,  '  M.  Guy  on  overboard  ! 
M.  Guyon  overboard ! '  The  captain  would  not  have 
stopped  a  minute  for  a  poor  devil  of  a  sailor,  but  for  an 
officer  it  was  different ;  and  then  the  whole  crew  would 
have  made  him  try  to  save  M.  Guyon. 

"  In  the  meantime  your  father  swam  like  a  fish  to  the 
sailor  and  seized  his  hair,  while  he,  to  thank  him,  only 
kicked  and  struggled,  not  knowing  what  he  did.  But  the 
brave  officer  held  fast,  and  he  has  a  famous  grip,  I  tell 
you !  They  let  down  a  boat,  and  then,  faith,  the  good 
God  took  them  in  hand,  and  they  were  picked  up  and 
brought  back  to  the  ship.  Oh,  to  hear  the  cheers  on  the 
deck  of  the  Yirginie  !  The  next  morning,  when  your  papa 
came  out  of  his  cabin,  the  crew  were  all  at  mess  ;  but  up 
they  all  jumped  at  once  like. one  man.  It  was  fine  to  see 
that !  Your  papa,  who  had  never  grown  pale  in  face  of 
danger,  grew  quite  white,  and  we  could  see  tears  in  his  eyes. 
But,  faith,  I  see  you  are  his  own  child,  for  you  are  pale  too ; 
it  must  not  make  you  feel  too  bad." 

"  No,  indeed,"  I  cried  ;  "  it  makes  me  feel  well — and 
then  ? " 


144  MAEGUERITE    AT   SEA. 

"  "Well,  he  gave  me  a  shake  of  the  hand,  and  I  said 
'  thank  you  ; '  for  you  see,  miss,  this  stupid  sailor  who  let 
himself  tumble  into  the  sea  was  old  Mario — it  was  I." 

"  He  got  up  and  turned  his  back  to  me ;  but  he  did  not 
mean  to  be  rude,  for  I  saw  him  wipe  away  the  tears  with 
his  great  rough  hand.  I  stayed  there  011  the  deck  thinking 
of  it  all,  when  all  the  others  had  gone.  My  heart  was  full 
of  my  dear  papa  and  his  'bravery.  But  I  must  finish  to 
morrow,-  I  am  so  tired ! 

Saturday,  August  28th. 

As  I  was  still  thinking  of  Mario's  story,  I  saw  papa  coin 
ing  towards  me,  and  I  ran  at  once  to  speak  to  him.  As  I 
put  my  arms  around  his  neck,  I  began  all  at  Once  to  cry ; 
I  could  not  help  it. 

"  But  what  is  the  matter  ?  "  said  papa.     "  Are  you  ill  ? " 

"  Oh,  no,"  I  replied ;  "  but  it  is  old  Mario,"  and  I  sobbed 
again. 

"  Are  you  crazy  ?  "  asked  papa. 

"  No,  no ;  but  you  are  very  naughty,  papa,"  I  said, 
laughing  and  crying  together.  "  Why  have  you  never  told 
me  what  you  had  done  ?  " 

"  Will  you  please  explain  what  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Yes,  papa,  old  Mario  told  me  all  abouj;  it." 

"  Well,  who  is  old  Mario  ?  " 

"  Oh,  papa,  that  is  too  much,  for  you  to  pretend  not  to 
know  old  Mario.  See,  there  he  is  below ;  he  seems  to  be 
talking  to  that  little  sailor,  but  he  "is  watching  us  out  of 
the  corner  of  his  eye." 

"  You  have  made  a  conquest  of  the  old  fellow,  then  ?  " 

"  No,  papa,  it  was  you.  Do  you  not  remember  the  Vir- 
ginie  and  how, when  Mario  fell  into  the  sea,  you  jumped  in 
to  save  him  ?  " 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  14:5 

"  Faith,  yes ;  so  that  is  the  poor  devil,  is  it  ?  I  should 
not  have  known  him,  which  is  not  very  wonderful,  since 
it  all  happened  fifteen  years  ago.  But  tell  me,  what  made 
my  little  girl  cry  about  it  ? " 

As  he  spoke,  papa  tapped  me  kindly  on  the  head. 

"  Because  I  was  so  happy  and  so  proud,  papa,"  I  said. 
"  It  was  so  brave  of  you — was  it  not,  mamma  ?  "  Mamma 
did  not  answer,  but  I  saw  her  eyes  were  full  of  tears. 
She  held  out  her  hand  to  papa,  saying — 

"  It  was  wrong  of  you,  Edward,  not  to  tell  me  this." 

"  There,"  I  cried,  "  mamma  thinks  as  I  do ! " 

"  ISTow,  now,"  said  papa,  with  his  sly  smile,  "  you  women 
must  be  sentimental  about  everything.  It  was  nothing  so 
remarkable ;  such  things  may  happen  at  any  time  on  board 
ship,  and  one  gets  quite  accustomed  to  them." 

"  Well,"  I  said,  "  it  has  not  happened  to  us  yet,  and  I  do 
not  believe  that  all  the  officers  have  saved  somebody's  life. 
I  shall  ask  the  captain  ;  but  will  you  not  speak  to  Mario, 
papa ;  it  would  please  him  so  much  ? " 

"  Certainly,  my  child ;  you  can  take  me  to  him."  Mamma 
left  us,  whispering  to  me  to  bring  Mario  to  her  by-and-by. 

"  Well,  my  old  friend,"  said  papa  to  Mario,  "  so  we  are 
once  more  afloat  together  aboard  the  same  ship." 

"  Faith  yes,  captain,  and  happy  enough  it  makes  me  to 
see  you  again,  with  your  lovely  wife  and  pretty  children, 
especially  this  young  miss.  God  bless  her." 

"  You  have  quite  turned  her  head,  Mario.  So  you  have 
always  kept  to  the  sea,  my  friend." 

"  Faith  yes,  captain  ;  one  can  do  nothing  else  after  one 
begins  at  it.  I  wager  that  you,  like  me,  could  not  live 
quietly  now  on  dry  land." 

"  I  shall  have  to  try,"  said  papa,  smiling ;  "  we  will  talk 
by  and-by,  but  I  think  I  can  be  useful  to  you  in  some  way." 
7 


146  MAKGUEKITE   AT   SEA. 

"  I  do  not  doubt  it,  captain,  for  God  must  have  put  me 
in  your  charge,  since  He  sent  you  into  the  sea  after  me. 
However  it  may  be,  captain,  old  Mario  belongs  to  you  and 
yours,  heart  and  soul." 

Papa  smiled  and  held  out  his  hand,  whic|i  Mario  almost 
shook  off,  and  I  could  see  a  tear  in  his  eye  too. 

While  papa  was  talking  to  the  other  sailors,  I  asked 
Mario  if  he  could  not  come  down  to  mamma,  who  wanted 
to  see  him. 

"  In  an  hour,"  he  said,  "  without  fail,  although  it  is  al 
most  too  much  happiness  for  one  day ! " 

When  I  went  down  I  told  mamma  and  Mademoiselle  all 
Mario  had  said,  and  they  were  much  touched  by  the  story. 
I  was  so  sorry  to  be  at  my  lessons  when  Mario  came  to  see 
mamma.  I  could  hear  his  rough  voice  speaking.  Mam 
ma  says  he  has  a  fine  heart,  and  she  would  like  to  help 
him.  She  offered  him  money,  but  he  would  not  take  it. 
How  I  wish  Gfustave  knew  all  about  Mario  !  Mamma  has 
told  Babet  to  take  baby  to  speak  to  Mario  whenever  she 
goes  on  deck  with  him. 

Yesterday  the  sea  was  rough,  but  to-day  it  is  calm,  but 
so  hot ! 

Sunday,  August  29t7i. 

Oh  !  how  stupid  it  is  !  Here  we  are  caught  in  what 
they  call  a  dead  calm,  and  very  tiresome  it  is.  Since  yes 
terday  we  have  not  moved,  and  before  that  we  were  going 
BO  nicely.  There  is  nothing  to  swell  the  sails,  and  they 
hang  down  against  the  masts,  ugly  and  dead,  like  Gustave's 
great  balloon  after  Berthe  had  pricked  it.  Every  one  looks 
sober,  the  captain  grumbles,  and  papa  does  not  seern  much 
pleased.  Mamma  only  says  she  cannot  complain,  since  we 
all  keep  well  in  spite  of  the  intense  heat. 


MAKGUEKITE   AT   SEA.  147 

We  had  Mass  this  morning,  and  M.  Bertrand  gave  us  a 
beautiful  sermon  on  "  confidence  in  God."  Papa  and  the 
captain  were  there,  but  only  two  of  the  other  officers. 
Mamma  asked  the  captain  why  he  did  not  have  the  Mass 
on  deck,  so  that  the  sailors  could  be  present.  But  he  said 
he  should  be  afraid  that  some  of  them  would  behave  im 
properly,  as  many  of  them  are  not  at  all  religious.  It 
seems  a  great  pity;  but  I  am  sure  our  good  Mario  cannot 
feel  so,  for  he  spoke  of  God  as  helping  papa  to  save  him. 

Monday,  August  30#t. 

1  It  is  still  the  same  dreadful  calm ;  the  sea  looks  like 
oil,  and  it  is  terribly  warm  ;  in  a  very  short  time  we  should 
have  been  at  the  equator,  had  the  wind  continued  to  blow. 
When  we  reach  there  we  are  to  have  the  "  baptism  of  the 
line,"  which  they  say  will  amuse  us  very  much. 

I  do  not  think  I  have  ever  spoken  of  our  visit  to 
Madeira,  for  I  was  so  sea-sick  at  that  time  that  I  could 
not  write  my  journal.  We  anchored  at  Madeira  on  the 
twelfth  day,  I  think,  after  leaving  France,  and  how  de 
lighted  I  was  to  see  the  land  again.  I  was  so  anxious  to 
go  ashore,  that  papa  proposed  to  take  Marie,  Jeanne  and  me 
with  him  when  he  landed,  and  mamma  allowed  us  to  go. 

We  all  went  on  horseback  up  on  the  heights,  where  we 
could  have  a  fine  view,  and  also  visit  a  church.  I  did  not 
feel  quite  at  ease  on  horseback,  but  Marie  and  Jeanne 
had  been  used  to  it  at  Bourbon.  I  was  willing  to  try  it, 
however,  as  papa  was  there,  and  we  had  a  guide — such  a 
funny  little  man,  with  a  pointed  cap  ;  but  I  did  not  quite 
like  him,  for  whenever  I  told  him  my  horse  was  going  too 
fast,  he  would  seize  hold  of  his  tail  to  stop  him,  which 
seemed  to  me  very  cruel. 

But  I  enjoyed  our  little  expedition  very  much.     We  saw 


148  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

all  sorts  of  beautiful  flowers  and  fruits;  some  of  the  latter 
we  tasted,  but  I  do  not  think  I  like  them  as  well  as  those 
we  have  in  France. 

The  beggars  in  Madeira  were  dreadful,  much  worse  than 
those  we  saw  on  our  way  to  Brest.  When  we  were  tak 
ing  a  little  lunch  before  going  back  to  the  vessel,  we  saw 
them  looking  in  at  the  windows  of  the  inn,  and  iriaking 
signs  to  us  for  help.  They  were  in  crowds,  men,  women  and 
children,  dirty 'and  ragged.  We  could  not  give  something 
to  each  one,  so  we  threw  them  some  bread  and  a  few  sous, 
which  they  seized  eagerly. 

When  we  approached  the  Canaries,  they  called  us  to 
show  us  the  famous  Peak  of  Teneriffe.  At  first  I  could  not 
see  any  mountain  at  all,  until  they  explained  to  me  that  it 
was  'white  instead  of  black,  and  I  could  see  something 
which  looked  like  a  sugar-loaf,  while  the  islands  them 
selves  were  only  a  white  line,  which  I  had  taken  for  a 
cloud. 

Yesterday  we  caught  some  nautilus,  as  we  had  done  be 
fore,  and  they  amused  us  very  much.  These  queer  crea 
tures  look  very  pretty  in  the  water,  as  they  seem  like  little 
vessels,  with  sails  either  pink,  blue  or  white.  But  they  are 
not  at  all  pretty  when  you  examine  them,  for  they  are  like 
jelly  and  in  long  strings.  They  sting  too  quite  badly  when 
you  touch  them.  .Berthe  had  quite  a  hard  cry  yesterday, 
for  she  would  not  listen  when  they  told  her  these  creatures 
would  burn  her,  but  laid  her  hand  on  one, saying  very  de 
cidedly,"  If  they  are  not  hot,  they  will  not  burn  me ; "  but  she 
found  out  her  mistake,  and  now  she  says  she  will  never 
touch  again  one  of  "those  ugly  little  ships." 

Then  the  "grapes,  of  the  Tropics"  are  very  pretty. 
Georget  ha?  brought  me  quite  a  number,  which  the  sailors 
have  given  him.  What  strange  things  there  are  in  the 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  149 

ocean !  These  grapes  are  a  sort  of  marine  plant.  Some 
times  we  see  great  shoals  of  porpoises,  which  make  the 
water  black  for  yards.  The  sailors  say  these  fish  know  all 
about  the  storms,  and  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  the  cap 
tain  could  talk  to  them  and  get  their  advice. 

Tuesday,  August  Slst. 

I  am  beginning  to  get  very  tired  of  seeing  the  sea  so  quiet. 
Besides,  the  heat  is  very  great,  and  makes  us  all  feel  badly.  I 
have  headaches,  and  Marie  has  attacks  of  palpitation,  which 
trouble  her  very  much.  Last  evening  we  were  all  on 
deck  trying  to  keep  cool  and  amuse  ourselves.  Mamma 
and  papa,  with  Mademoiselle  and  the  children,  were  all 
listening  to  a  story  which  M.  Bertrand  was  telling,  so 
Marie  and  I  leaned  over  the  railing  looking  at  the  sea  and 
enjoying  the  moonlight.  How  beautiful  it  was,  turning 
the  waves  into  silver,  and  wrapping  us  all  around  in  its 
soft  light,  while  through  it  all  the  stars  were  shining 
brightly  over  our  heads  ! 

Marie  and  I  were  quiet  for  a  long  time,  looking  out  over 
the  water,  without  speaking.  At  last,  as  I  glanced  at  Marie 
I  was  struck  by  her  face  ;  one  might  have  thought  her  an 
angel,  with  the  moonlight  falling  on  her  sweet  face  and 
eyes,  which  seemed  to  see  God. 

I  said :  "  O  Marie,  how  beautiful  it  is  !  " 

"  Yes  indeed,"  she  said,  and  her  voice  trembled,  "  and  to 
me  it  is  so  sweet  and  so  sad  too."  I  knew  she  was  think 
ing  of  her  mother. 

"  Do  you  know,  Marguerite,"  she  continued,  "  that  I 
feel  as  if  my  poor  mother  was  very  near  me  now.  The 
sea  is  her  grave." 

"  O  Marie,  and  what  a  beautiful  grave !  See  how  the 
waves  shine  before  us." 


150  MA.RGUERITE     AT   SEA. 

"Yes,  and  when  I  think  of  mamma  I  think  always  of 
heaven,  and  with  this  grand  sight  before  me,  which  tells 
me  of  God,  I  feel  she  is  very  near." 

"  O  Marie,"  I  said,  "  one  ought  to  be  very  good  to  go  to 
heaven."  Marie  raised  her  eyes  and  said  very  earnestly  : 

"  When,  oh  when  shall  we  go,  Marguerite !  "  I  was  a 
little  startled,  and  replied : 

"  But,  Marie,  do  you  really  want  to  go  at  once  ?  " 

"  If  it  depended  upon  me,  Marguerite,  do  you  think  I 
would  hesitate  about  going  to  my  mother  ?  " 

"  But  you  would  leave  so  many  behind,  Marie.  Think 
of  me,  of.  Jeanne,  Alberic,  mamma,  and  Mademoiselle,  who 
belong  now  to  you  as  well  as  to  me !  "  Marie  smiled  and, 
putting  her  arm  around  me,  said  : 

"  Do  not  be  afraid ;  I  must  wait,  'for  I  am  not  good 
enough  yet  for  God  to  call  me." 

"  So  much  the  better,  Marie,  for  then  we  can  work  to 
gether  to  make  ourselves  good." 

"  Oh,  if  it  could  only  be  together  !  "  said  Marie.  I  had 
quite  forgotten  that  we  were  to  separate  so  soon. 

"  O  Marie  !  "  I  cried,  "  I  cannot  believe  but  what  God, 
who  is  so  good,  will  make  something  happen  which  shall 
keep  us  together." 

"  I  can  hardly  believe  such  a  change  possible,  Margue 
rite  ;  but  even  if  we  do  not  see  each  other,  we  can  work 
together.  I  ought  not  to  have  forgotten  that  we  can  pray 
for  each  other,  and  then  we  can  write." 

"  It  is  very  sweet  to  love  each  other  so  well,  Marie,"  I 
said  ;  and' then  for  a  long  time  we  were  quiet,  until  Made 
moiselle  came  to  call  us. 

Wednesday,  September  1st. 

I  have  a  good  deal  to  tell,  and  yet  there  is  so  much 
noise  all  around  me  that  it  is  hard  to  write.  Besides, 


MARGUERITE    AT   SEA.  151 

there  is  a  little  rolling,  and  it  seems  so  strange  after  being 
quiet  so  long.  I  cannot  complain,  however,  it  is  so  pleas 
ant  to  be  going  on. 

Yesterday  we  had  a  very  little  breeze,  just  enough  to 
make  us  all  hopeful.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  they  threw 
the  lead,  and  found  we  had  made  one  knot.  It  was  very 
slow  work,  and  in  a  little  while  we  were  standing  stilU 
again.  Every  one  felt  discouraged,  and  some  said  we 
should  stay  where  we  were  for  a  month. 

Suddenly,  at  dinner-time,  another  little  breeze  came 
whistling*around  us,  and  this  time  it  was  better.  At  the 
end  of  an  hour  we  had  made  three  knots,  and  the  captain 
tells  us  we  shall  cross  the  line  to-morrow  morning. 

They  have  told  us  all  sorts  of  stories  about  the  line,  but 
fortunately  Mademoiselle  had  explained  it  to  me,  so  that 
when  M.  Suze  tried  to  laugh  at  me  about  it,  1  could  show 
him  that  I  knew  what  he  meant.  I  suppose  it  was  wrong 
in  me  to  join  M.  Suze  in  teasing  Adele,  who  really  believes 
that  we  shall  see  a  great  black  line  across  the  sky. 

While  we  were  talking  about  it,  the  other  children  came 
up  to  us,  which  worried  me,  for  I  did  not  want  Stephanie 
and  Berihe  to  hear  such  foolish  stuff ;  but  neither  did  I 
want  to  say  anything  to  Adele,  for  M.  Suze  had  promised 
me  that  he  would  put  something  into  the  spy-glass  to 
morrow  which  would  make  Adele  think  there  was  a  line  in 
the  sky. 

After  dinner,  as  we  were  all  on  deck,  and  I  was  playing 
with  baby,  we  heard  suddenly  a  shot,  which  seemed  to 
come  from  the  top  of  the  great  mast.  I  was  so  startled  I 
began  to  tremble,  baby  began  to  scream,  Berthe  to  cry, 
while  Stephanie  ran  to  mamma  for  protection.  In  a  mo 
ment  we  saw  a  strange- looking  figure  coming  down  the 
mast  like  a  cat.  He  had  a  long  whip  in  his  hand,  shining 


152  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA, 

boots,  and  a  splendid  red  vest.  On  his  head  he  wore  a 
light  wig,  powdered,  and  tied  in  a  pig-tail.  We  all  began 
to  laugh. 

He  went  up  to  the  captain,  who  stood  waiting  for  him 
with  a  grave  face.  Bowing  almost  to  the  ground,  he  said, 
in  a  very  sharp  voice:  "Mr.  Captain,  his  Majesty,  the 
Father  of  the  Line,  King  of  the  Tropics  of  the  Equator 
and  other  ethereal  domains,  has  sent  me  to  your  Excel 
lency,  to  ask  by  what  right  you  intrude  upon  the  heart  of 
his  kingdom,  without  first  tendering  your  allegiance.  In 
order  to  express  his  sentiments  better  than  can  be  done  by 
your  humble  servant,  I  present  you  this  letter."  He  bowed 
again,  as  he  drew  from  his  bosom  an  enormous  letter, 
which  he  handed  to  the  captain. 

After  the  captain  had  read  the  letter,  he  said  to  the 
messenger  quite  gravely: 

"  I  regret,  my  friend,  that  your  royal  master  has  sent 
you  upon  so  dangerous  a  voyage  as  you  have  had  in  de 
scending  from  the  sky.  I  hope  his  Majesty  will  not 
cherish  his  anger  against  us,  since  we  have  offended  him 
unwittingly  and  from  ignorance.  I  wouhi  present  my 
excuses  to  him  in  person,  but,  since  I  cannot  fojlow  you 
into  the  clouds,  I  must  beg  your  master  to  come  to  us,  as 
suring  him  of  a  worthy  reception." 

"With  these  words,  the  captain  slipped  a  five-franc  piece 
into  the  hands  of  the  messenger,  who  bowed  low  and  re 
plied  : 

"  I  venture  to  hold  you  excused,  Mr.  Captain,  and  on 
my  word  of  honor  announce  the  arrival  of  my  august 
master,  Father  of  the  Line,  to  take  place  to-morrow." 
Then  bowing  again,  and  snapping  his  whip,  he  began 
climbing  the  mast.  We  were  all  laughing,  and  asking 
the  captain  all  sorts  of  questions,  when  he  cried  suddenly, 


MAEGTJEKITE    AT    SEA.  153 

"  Away  with  the  little  admiral !  "  as  every  one  calls 
baby. 

Mamma  ran  off  with  baby  just  as  a  heavy  shower  of 
beans,  peas,  and  I  do  not  know  what,  came  tumbling  upon 
us.  Every  one  ran  for  the  captain's  room,  even  Mine. 
Bontems  and  the  Sisters.  Adele  was  asking  every  one 
why  such  stupid  jokes  were  permitted,  and  M.  Suze  told 
her  it  was  an  old  custom,  not  a  joke  at  all,  and  that  we 
should  not  be  able  to  cross  the  equator  without  it. 

M.  Suze  told  her  all  sorts  of  stories  about  it,  and  she 
listened  so  eagerly  I  could  hardly  keep  from  laughing ; 
but  I  saw  Marie  did  not  like  it.  When  we  went  down 
stairs  Marie  explained  to  Jeanne  the  real  meaning  of 
crossing  the  line,  and  that  we  should  really  see  nothing 
to-morrow  different  from  to-day. 

"  But,  Marie,"  said  Jeanne,  "  the  officers  say  we  shall 
see  a  line  in  the  sky,  and  Marguerite  believes  it,  why 
should  not  I  ? " 

It  made  me  angry  to  see  that  Marie  was  going  to  spoil 
our  plan  for  a  joke  to-morrow,  for  Jeanne  would  tell 
Adele,  so  I  said  crossly  : 

"  No,  I  do  not  believe  it ;  but  it  was  for  a  little  fun  that 
we  talked  so,  and  I  think  it  is  very  stupid  that  it  should 
be  spoiled  by  such  a  little  goose." 

"It  is  you  who  are  a  goose,"  cried  Jeanne;  "is  she 
not,  Marie  ? " 

"  Hush,"  said  Marie,  "  it  is  very  wrong  to  use  such 
words." 

"  You  mean  to  say  I  am  naughty  ? "  I  asked  Marie ; 
"  that  is  very  nice  of  you,  and  all  for  this  ugly  little  girl." 

Jeanne  was  about  to  answer  me,  but  Marie  stopped 
her,  which  made  me  more  angry ;  and  I  went  on  to  say  a 
great  many  hateful  things  to  Jeanne.  Jeanne  cried,  and 
7* 


154  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

Marie  kissed  and  consoled  her.  I  felt  how  wrong  I  was, 
but  I  did  not  say  a  word. 

Mademoiselle  came  in  and  asked  what  was  the  matter, 
when  she  saw  my  cross  face,  but  I  did  not  answer  her,  and 
climbed  into  my  berth  without  bidding  Marie  good-night. 
I  could  not  sleep,  but  tossed  back  and  forth  feeling  so 
unhappy,  and  wishing  I  could  speak  to  Marie. 

I  coughed  softly  to  see  if  she  would  hear  me,  and  in  a 
moment  she  coughed  as  if  in  answer.  I  put  out  my  head 
and  said  very  softly  : 

"  Are  you  asleep,  Marie  ?  " 

"  How  could  I  sleep,  when  we  had  not  said  good-night 
to  each  other  ?  " 

"  Oh,  how  good  you  are !  Wait  one  minute."  I 
slipped  out  of  rny  berth,  and  in  a  moment  I  was  with 
Marie,  with  my  arms  around  her  neck. 

"  Will  you  forgive  me  ? "  I  said. 

"  Yes  indeed,  my  dear  little  sister." 

"  Ah,  you  call  me  your  sister,  but  you  love  Jeanne  best." 

"  And  why  should  T  not  ?  Just  think  of  it,  she  has  no 
mother,  and  I  must  be  both  mother  and  sister  to  her." 

"  Yes,  yes,  you  are  right,  dear  Marie,  and  I  was  all 
wrong  from  the  beginning.  Tell  me  that  you  will  forget 
the  ugly  words  1  said,  and  love  me  again." 

"  I  will,  indeed,  dear  little  sister,  and  I  will  ask  you  to 
forgive  me." 

"  Oh,  1  wish  I  had  some  cause  to  forgive  you,  or  rather  I 
wish  I  were  not  always  wrong."  Marie  laughed,  and  with 
a  kiss,  we  were  friends  once  more. 

I  was  so  happy  to  be  with  her,  that  I  stayed  in  Marie's 
bed  all  night,  and  in  the  morning  I  ran  to  Jeanne  and 
asked  her  to  forgive  what  I  had  said.  I  told  Made 
moiselle^  too,  all  about  the  dispute. 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  155 

Thursday,  September  2nd. 

I  am  so  glad  that  we  still  have  a  good  breeze,  for  we 
hope  to  arrive  in  a  few  days  at  Rio  Janeiro,  and  there  we 
shall  see  my  uncle  Henry. 

The  captain  asked  mamma  yesterday  how  it  happened 
that  my  uncle  had  entered  the  Brazilian  Navy,  being  a 
Frenchman.  Mamma  told  him  that  •  uncle  Henry  had 
been  much  attached  to  a  young  Brazilian  in  college,  and 
had  decided  to  follow  him  to  Brazil  and  enter  the  naval 
service  in  that  country.  But  she  thought  that  at  times 
her  brother  had  regretted  the  choice  he  had  made.  It  is 
six  years  since  mamma  has  seen  uncle  Henry. 

Yesterday  morning  we  were  all  on  deck  very  punctually 
at  eight  o'clock,  for  at  a  quarter  before  nine  we  were 
to  pass  the  famous  line.  The  sailors  were  all  in  good 
spirits,  and  'the  officers  were  all  staring  at  the  sky,  trying 
to  make  us  believe  we  should  see  something  there. 

When  M.  Sr.ze  called  Adele  to  look  through  the  spy 
glass,  I  felt  quite  ashamed,  and  tried  to  whisper  to  her, 
but  she  would  not  stop,  and  ran  off  in  great  delight.  In 
a  moment  we  heard  her  exclaiming  in  a  very  loud  tone, 
(and  she  always  speaks  loud  enough):  "  Why, yes,  I  see 
it  of  course  1  How  beautiful  it  is,  and  it  must  be  very 
large  and  black  for  one  to  see  it  so  plainly  at  such  a 
distance!"  And  so  she  went  on,  while  everyone  was 
laughing  at  her.  The  more  they  laughed,  the  more  she 
talked  ;  perhaps  she  thought  they  were  admiring  her. 

I  felt  really  unhappj^,  and  could  not  laugh  at  all.  At 
last,  while  Laura  was  looking  through  the  glass,!  said  to 
her : 

"  But,  Adele,  they  are  only  joking  with  you.  Do  you 
not  see  how  everyone  is  laughing  ? "  She  grew  very  red, 
and  said  : 


156  MARGUERITE    AT    SEA. 

"  Y/liat  do  you  mean  ? " 

"  Why,  you  know  there  is  not  really  any  line  in  the 
sky."  She  was  very  angry  at  this,  and  exclai  med  : 

"  Do  you  expect  me  to  believe  any  such  stupidity  ?  Did 
I  not  see  it  ?  I  have  not  a  governess  to  be  sure,  I  cannot 
speak  English,  and  do  not  make  such  a  fuss  about  my 
lessons,  but  I  believe  I  have  eyes,  and  can  see." 

"  But,  A  dele,  what  has  my  speaking  English  to  do  with  it  ? " 

"  Oh  you  think  you  are  so  wise,  and  want  every  one  else 
to  think  so."  She  was  too  angry  to  say  more,  so,  in  order 
to  show  her  that  I  was  right,  M.  Suze  unscrewed  the  spy 
glass  and  showed  a  thread  from  a  spider's  web  which  he 
had  put  between  the  glasses.  lie  took  it  but,  and  wanted 
her  to  look  again  at  the  sky.  but  she  would  not  listen  to 
him.  She  said  they  were  all  very  unkind,  and  she  should 
complain  to  her  mother,  and  she  added — "  If  I  were  the 
daughter  of  a  governor,  you  would  not  treat  me  so ! " 
M.  Patre  said — "  If  you  were  lady-like,  and  well-behaved, 
Mademoiselle,  we  should  treat  you  like  the  daughter  of  a 
king."  Every  one  laughed,  and  Adele  ran  away  crying. 
I  really  felt  sorry  for  her. 

At  this  moment  we  heard  shots  from  all  sides,  and 
saw  coming  towards  us  a  sort  of  low  car,  surrounded  by  a 
crowd  of  sailors  and  cabin-boys  disguised.  In  the  car 
was  an  old  man  and  woman,  and  a  young  girl.  They 
cried  out  "  Father  Neptune  !  Father  Neptune ! "  and  all 
the  men  took  off  their  hats. 

What  a  queer-looking  old  man  he  was !  He  had  a  long 
white  beard  made  of  worsted,  which  hung  down  to  his 
knees;  he  was  dressed  in  sheeps'  skins,  and  above  his 
brown  wrinkled  forehead  he  wore  a  sort  of  crown  made  of 
gilt  paper.  His  wife  was  bent  almost  double,  and  had 
ribbons  of  every  color  and  length  hanging  about  her. 


MARGUERITE    AT    SEA.  157 

Their  daughter, however, was  very  nice;  she  had  quite  a 
sweet  face,  surrounded  by  long  curls,  and  a  broad  pink 
ribbon  tied  around  her  head,  which  was  very  becoming. 

t/  O 

They  had  chosen  for  the  daughter  the  oldest  of  the  cabin 
boys,  who  looked  really  like  a  woman. 

The  car  stopped  at  the  poop,  where  the  captain  met  it 
dressed  in  full  uniform.  Father  Neptune  made  him  a 
very  spirited  address  (so  they  called  it),  asking  privileges 
for  the  members  of  his  court,  and  favors  for  the  crew,  so 
that  they  might  remember  passing  through  his  domains. 

The  captain  replied  politely,  giving  him  a  small  sum  of 
money  for  himself  and  his  followers,  and  promising  the 
crew  a  ration  of  fresh  meat  and  brandy,  with  permission 
to  celebrate  the  day  with  proper  honors.  All  the  sailors 
cried,  "  Long  live  the  captain  ! ''  and  Father  Neptune  gave 
him  his  blessing. 

He  then  retired,  and  established  himself  under  a  great 
tent  made  of  the  sails,  near  the  capstan.  Here  was 
placed  a  great  tub  of  water,  and  every  one  must  be 
baptized  who  had  never  passed  the  line  before.  All  the 
gentlemen  had  done  so,  and  mamma  was  called  first, 
which  she  did  not  like  very  much.  But  papa  slipped  a 
piece  of  money  into  the  hand  of  the  head  man,  so  they 
only  dropped  a  little  cologne  water  on  her  head.  We 
were  all  treated  equally  well,  but  when  baby's  turn  came, 
and  they  called  out  for  the  little  admiral,  he  screamed  so 
at  the  sight  of  Father  Neptune,  that  Babet  had  to  carry 
him  away.  Father  Neptune  sent  his  daughter  to  ask  me 
to  come  and  speak  to  him,  and  at  first  I  felt  a  little  bit 
afraid  of  him,  but  in  a  few  moments  I  cried  out:  "Oh,  I 
know  you,  you  forgot  to  change  your  voice." 

"  Be  quiet,  my  child,"  said  Mario,  "  do  not  betray  me." 
When  it  came  to  be  Adele's  turn  to  be  baptized,  they  threw 


158  MARGUERITE    AT    SEA. 

so  much  water  over  her  face  and  neck,  that  she  grew  very 
angry  again.  I  do  not  know  why  they  treated  her  so, 
but  perhaps  she  has  not  been  kind  to  the  sailors,  or  her 
mother  has  not  given  them  money. 

,  They  did  not  baptize  the  Sisters  out  of  respect,  but  the 
priests  took  their  turn,  and  laughed  over  it.  Very  soon 
the  sailors  began  to  get  pretty  noisy,  and  mamma  took  us 
all  down  stairs.  What  a  racket  they  made,  running  and 
shouting,  pouring  water  in  buckets  from  the  mast-head  to 
baptize  every  one  of  the  crew.  The  water  ran  over  the 
deck  in  all  directions,  and  even  into  our  rooms,  which  was 
rather  annoying.  In  the  evening  the  sailors  played  games, 
and  sang  in  chorus,  which  was  splendid  to  hear,  in  the 
quiet  night  with  the  beautiful  moonlight. 

Friday,  September  3rd. 

Such  a  fright  as  we  had  yesterday  !  I  was  just  finishing 
my  Journal  when  suddenly  I  heard  cries,  and  looking  up 
I  saw  something  black  and  white  falling  from  the  deck 
above,  past  our  door  down  to  the  lower  deck.  We  all 
rushed  out,  fearing  for  the  children,  who  were  playing  on 
the  upper  deck,  and  my  knees  trembled  so  that  I  could 
hardly  stand.  It  was  poor  M.  Patre,  who  had  just  finished 
his  watch,  and  quite  forgetting  that  they  had  taken  away 
the  ladders  from  the  companion-way  to  mend  them,  he 
had  stepped  off  the  deck  and  fallen.  Most  happily  he 
was  not  killed,  nor  even  hurt,  and  almost  as  soon  as  he  fell 
lie  was  up  again,  looking  very  pale,  with  his  uniform 
torn  and  soiled,  but  declaring  that  he  was  not  hurt  at  all. 
The  doctor  wanted  him  to  take  something,  but  M.  Patre 
would  not  consent,  but  went  at  once  to  his  room,  after 
thanking  us  for  our  anxiety. 

Marnma  felt  so  troubled  about  M  Patre,  that  when  tsho 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  159 

found  that  the  doctor  could  not  persuade  him  to  take  any 
thing,  she  prepared  herself  a  glass  of  eau  sucree  with 
orange  flower  water,  and  took  it  to.M.  Patre's  room.  She 
handed  it  to  him,  saying  only,  "  For  your  mother's  sake, 
M.  Patre,  do  not  refuse  me."  lie  looked  at  mamma,  a 
moment,  while  the  tears  came  into  his  eyes,  and  replied, 
"  For  my  mother's  sake,  Mine.,  and  I  thank  you  for  your 
kindness." 

To-day  M.  Patre  is  better,  but  he  still  looks  pale.  The 
captain  tells  us  that  M.  Patre  is  an  only  child,  and  that 
his  mother  is  terribly  grieved  whenever  he  leaves  her. 
M.  Patre  is  very  shy,  but  to-day  he  has  seemed  more 
inclined  to  make  acquaintance  with  us,  and  has  even 
talked  a  little  to  mamma  about  his  mother.  He  seems  very 
kind  and  good. 

Monday,  September  Gtk. 

We  had  a  sad  day  yesterday  on  account  of  poor  Sister 
Stephanie,  who  was  so  ill  we  thought  she  would  die.  To 
day  she  is  much  better,  but  I  think  I  shall  always  remem 
ber  how  sweet  and  patient  she  has  been. 

How  good.  Sister  Alexis  is  too  !  I  think  I  like  her  more 
than  any  of  the  others.  I  am  very  glad  always  to  talk  to 
her  about  poor  people  and  such  matters,  but  she  will  never 
say  a  great  deal  about  herself.  When  I  ask  her  if  she  does 
not  feel  unhappy  to  go  so  far  away  from  her  home  into  a 
strange  country,  she  only  smiles,  and  says,  "  We  go  where 
we  are  sent  by  our  superiors;  we  feel  that  it  is  God  who 
sends  us,  and  it  is  His  will  which  we  try  to  accomplish." 

The  doctor  tells  mamma  that  be  has  never  seen  any  one 
so  patient  and  full  of  faith  as  Sister  Stephanie  has  been. 
For  when  they  thought  she  might  die  at  any  moment,  she 
neither  murmured  nor  trembled,but  seemed  composed  and 


160  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

very  happy.  The  doctor  says  she  has  a  very  weak  chest, 
but  if  she  recovers  from  this  attack  and  can  reach  Bourbon, 
she  will  be  much  strengthened  by  the  climate. 

Marie  and  I  have  been  watching  the  children  to-day,  to 
prevent  them  from  making  any  noise  near  the  Sisters'  room, 
but  we  cannot  stop  the  sailors,  who  have  made  a  great  deal 
of  bustle.  The  wind  is  very  good  and  we  go  on  nicely, 
hoping  soon  to  see  Rio. 

Wednesday,  September  8th 

We  had  Mass  to-day,  as  it  was  the  Nativity  of  the  Holy 
Virgin,  and  also  because  Sister  Stephanie  was  so  anxious 
to  have  it.  She  is  much  better,aiid  every  one  tries  to  spoil 
her  by  being  as  good  to  her  as  possible.  They  put  her 
into  a  large  arm-chair  and  wheeled  her  into  the  captain's 
room,  where  M.  Bertrand  had  Mass. 

She  did  not  seem  very  much  tired,  but  so  happy  that  it 
was  a  pleasure  to  look  at  her,  although  she  is  still  very  thin 
and  pale. 

Mademoiselle  talked  to  us  about  the  Holy  Virgin,  and 
showed  us  how  the  story  of  her  life  ought  to  teach  us 
humility.  She  was  born,  lived  and  died  in  obscurity, 
although  she  was  the  mother  of  our  Blessed  Lord. 

Saturday,  September  llth. 

Oh,  I  am  almost  too  happy,  for  they  tell  us  that  to-morrow 
we  shall  certainly  reach  Rio  !  I  do  hope  we  shall  find  my 
,  uncle  Henry  there.  Mamma  wrote  to  him  that  we  should 
stop  at  Rio,  but  he  may  not  li&ve  received  her  letter.  I 
do  not  remember  my  uncle  very  well,  for  I  was  only  four 
years  old  when  he  was  last  in  France.  He  has  never  seen 
Berthe  or  baby,  and  Stephanie  was  only  a  baby  when  he 
saw  her.  We  are  teaching  baby  to  say  "  Godpapa,"  for 
uncle  Henry  is  his  godfather,  and  baby  is  named  for  him. 


MARGUERITE    AT    SEA.  161 

Sunday,  September  12t7i,  in  tlie  roadstead  of  Rio  Janeiro . 

Well !  the  captain  did  not  deceive  ns,  and  I  am  really 
writing  before  the  harbor  of  Hio !  I  can  hardly  believe 
that  it  is  America  that  I  see,  and  that  such  a  little  girl  as 
I  has  really  made  this  great  voyage.  We  are  so  happy 
too  to  have  no  more  rolling  and  pitching,  and  more  than 
all,  \ve  are  so  glad  to  think  that  papa  has  gone  to  look  for 
my  nude.  As  I  do  not  want  to  grow  impatient  with 
waiting  for  them,I  have  begun  to  write  about  our  arrival. 

This  morning  at  six  o'clock  they  could  see  land  from  the 
mast-head,  but  I  did  not  see  it  until  an  hour  later.  We 
had  a  fine  breeze,  and  made  straight  for  the  land,  which 
every  one  was  delighted  to  see.  The  Isere  was  looking 
bright  and  fresh,  for  she  has  been  all  washed  and  even 
painted  outside  within  the  last  few  days.  Berthe  was  so 
pleased  to  see  the  ship  look  so  nicely,  that  she  wanted  to 
put  on  her  very  prettiest  dress  this  morning,"  so  as  to  be 
dressed  like  the  Lsere,"  as  she  told  mamma. 

I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  felt  almost  unwilling  to  go  to 
Mass  this  morning,  for  I  was  so  much  interested  in  watch 
ing  the  land  grow  more  and  more  distinct.  But  I  soon 
felt  ashamed  of  myself,  and  saw  that  I  ought  only  to  be 
glad  that  I  could  thank  God  for  having  brought  us  so  far 
in  safety  and  health. 

When  Mass  was  over,  and  we  left  the  cabin,  I  shall  never 
•forget  how  I  felt !  The  land  seemed  so  close  to  us,  and 
what  a  pleasure  it  was  to  see  once  more  the  trees,  the 
green  grass,  hills  and  valleys!  Stephanie,  Bei;the  and 
Jeanne  were  chattering  like  little  parrots,  and  even  baby 
jumped  and  laughed  in  Marie's  arms,  although  he  did  not 
know  what  pleased  us  all.  Every  one  was  on  deck,  so 
much  amused  and  interested  in  watching  the  beautiful, 
count ry.  Even  Sister  Stephanie's  sad  eyes  looked  bright. 


162  MARGVEBITE   AT    SEA. 

"We  approached  rather  slowly  it  seemed  to  me,  passed  a 
great  fortress  called  Santa  Cruz,  and  then  entered  a  great 
bay,  which  curving  on  each  side  of  us  allowed  us  to  see 
Ilio  Janeiro  on  the  left,  and  Ny thereby  on  the  right  hand, 
while  all  around  were  mountains,  forests,  and  everything 
.beautifully  green.  The  officers  tell  us  that  this  is  the 
finest  harbor  in  the  world. 

It  amuses  me  so  much  to  ,see  the  crowd  of  vessels,  with 
flags  of  all  the  nations,  and  then  quantities  of  boats, 
canoes,  and  piroques,  passing  back  and  forth,  loaded  with 
men  or  with  fruit,  the  negroes  laughing  and'  talking,  all 
making  such  a  pleasant  noise  and  bustle.  While  we  were 
at  lunch  the  canoes  came  to  us  from  all  directions,  bringing 
us  every  kind  of  fruit  to  sell.  There  were  bananas,  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  guavas,  but  above  all  such  beautiful  oranges  ! 

As  we  came  up  the  harbor,  we  hoisted  our  flag,  and  all 
the  crew  took  off  their  hats  to  greet  it.  It  made  the  tears 
come  into  my  eyes.  Then  they  began  to  fire  a  salute,  and 
the  noise  of  the  cannon  almost  deafened  us,  and  frightened 
the  children  very  much.  When  the  noise  was  over,  and 
the  smoke  cleared  away,  what  should  we  see  sailing  into 
the  harbor,  with  all  sails  set  and  flag  flying,  but  a  splendid 
man-of-war,  and  it  was  French  ! 

When  we  recognized  our  dear  blue,  white  and  red  flag, 
how  we  all  cried  out ! 

I  was  much  amused  too  to  see  them  cast  anchor,  to  see* 
the  great  chain  running  out,  and  to  feel  that  it  would  hold 
us  so  fast  and  firm.  I  wondered  if  the  Isere  felt  as  glad 
to  be  quiet  as  I  was.  Presently  we  saw  a  boat  coming 
with  some  gentlemen  in  uniform,  and  I  hoped  it  was  my 
uncle  Henry.  It  was,  however,  the  health-officer  and  some 
others,  who  always  visit  every  vessel  that  enters  the  harbor. 
Papa  made  some  inquiries  about  uncle  Henry,  but  could 


MAEGUEEITE    AT   SEA.  163 

only  hear  that  he  had  returned  from  his  voyage ;  they 
could  not  tell  if  he  was  in  the  city.  Papa  has  gone  ashore, 
and  has  sent  mamma  word  that  uncle  Henry  was  not  in  the 
city,  but  he  should  follow  him  into  the  country  and  bring 
him  to  us.  Mamma  is  almost  sick  with  impatience,  and 
Stephanie  and  I  have  been  watching  every  boat  that  came 
near  us,  until  our  eyes  ache.  We  shall  all  write  to  Gus- 
tave  from  here. 

Friday,  September  \1th — again  at  sea. 

How  much  I  have  to  tell !  I  am  afraid  it  will  make  my 
Journal  very  long,  and  yet  it  is  all  so  interesting  that  I 
hardly  know  what  to  omit.  I  must  go  back  to  Srni- 
day,  when  we  spent  a  long,  anxious  day,  waiting  for  papa 
and  rny  uncle.  It  was  very  quiet  and  dull  on  the  ship,  for 
almost  every  one  had  gone  on  shore ;  even  the  Sisters  had 
gone  to  a  convent  in  Rio.  I  felt  quite  envious  to  see 
Adele  go  off  with  Mine.  Bontems  and  the  children,  while 
we  stayed  shut  up  on  the  ship.  It  was  a  bad  feeling,  I 
know,  but  I  was  so  impatient  to  go  ashore  myself. 

After  dinner  we  all  were  on  deck,  waiting  and  watching, 
but  no  one  came.  At  last,  after  eight  o'clock,  mamma  was 
obliged  to  go  away  to  put  baby  to  sleep,  but  we  stayed  with 
Mademoiselle.  Unfortunately  a  heavy  shower  soon  drove 
ns  all  below,  and  made  me  feel,  I  must  say,  very  cross. 
Suddenly  we  heard  voices  outside,  and  I  ran  out  quickly, 
to  find,  however,  only  Mine.  Bontems  and  her  party  com 
ing  back.  As  I  turned  away,  much  disappointed,  Adele 
cried  out,  "  O  Marguerite,  I  have  good  news  for  you ! 
Your  uncle  is  coming,  and  he  is  very  nice."  I  gave  a 
little  cry,  and  Mine.  Bontems  added,  "  Do  not  tell  your 
mother  too  suddenly  ;  it  may  startle  her."  But  I  did  not 
listen,  and  rushed  into  mamma's  room,  crying  as  loud  as  I 
could,  "  Mamma,  mamma,  uncle  Henry!  " 


164:  MARGUERITE    AT    SEA. 

"  Where  ?  "  asked  mamma,  beginning  to  tremble. 

"He  has  just  come,  I  think." 

"  Stay  here,"  said  mamma,  and  she  flew  away  up  the 
ladder  and  was  out  of  sight  in  a  moment. 

They  told  me  afterwards  that,  in  spite  of  the  heavy  rain, 
mamma  ran  across  the  deck  to  the  place  where  they  land 
from  the  boats,  just  in  time  to  see  a  large  man  in  uniform 
coming  up  the  ladder.  "  Is  it  you,  Henry  ?  "  she  cried. 

"  Oh  my  Elisa !  "  he  replied,  and  in  another  moment 
mamma  was  in  his  arms,  sobbing  and  embracing  him,  with 
out  thinking  who  might  be  looking  at  her.  Georget  told 
me  afterwards  that  all  the  men  had  tears  in  their  eyes,  as 
they  thought  of  the  sisters  and  mothers  they  had  left  at 
home.  In  a  few  moments  papa  took  them  away  to  his 
room,  and  then  how  much  talking  had  to  be  done  ! 

I  was  waiting  below  all  this  time,  and  thinking  it  was 
not  very  kind  for  mamma  to  forget  me  so  long.  I  felt  al 
most  ready  to  cry.  •  At  last  Jeanne  cried  out,  "  Marguerite, 
I  hear  your  mamma's  voice  ;  "  and  then  my  heart  began  to 
beat  and  I  could  not  stir.  I  kept  close  to  Stephanie,  who 
felt  as  shy  as  I  did  ;  but  Berthe  ran  out  to  meet  them,  crying, 
"  How  d'ye  do,  uncle  ?  how  d'ye  do,  papa  ? ''  Mamma 
called  to  me  :  "  Here,  Marguerite,  is  the  uncle  you  wanted 
to  see  so  much." 

I  did  not  move  until  my  uncle  said,  in  a  voice  that 
touched  my  heart,  "  Why,  Marguerite,  is  this  the  way  you 
receive  me  ?  "  and  then  I  ran  into  his  arms.  As  he  kissed 
Stephanie,  he  said  to  mamma, "  This  one  is  your  very  image, 
Elisa."  Then  he  looked  at  baby,  who  was  asleep,  and  said, 
"  How  beautiful  he  is !  I  must  kiss  my  little  godson,  cost 
what  it  may  !  " 

Mamma  then  took  my  uncle  to  Mademoiselle,  who  had 
not  seen  him  since  mamma  and  she  were  at  school  together, 


MARGUERITE    AT   SEA.  165 

and  uncle  Henry  was  at  college.  He  held  out  his  hand  to 
Mademoiselle,  and  saying,  "  I  am  sure  you  will  let  me  treat 
you  as  a  brother,  since  you  are  both  friend  and  sister  to 
Elisa,"  he  kissed  her  without  ceremony.  Then  he  turned 
to  Marie  and  Jeanne,  and  said  :  "  Oh,  these  are  sisters  of 
my  nieces ;  well,  I  must  kiss  every  one  to-day."  Marie 
was  a  little  surprised,  but  she  saw  how  simple  and  kind 
uncle  Ilenrv  was.  and  was  not  offended.  In  a  few 

\j 

moments  Stephanie  and  I  were  sitting  one  on  each  knee, 
while  Berthe  looked  at  us  rather  reproachfully  'from  her 
.bed. 

Uncle  Henry  then  told  us  how  papa  had  been  obliged 
to  go  some  distance  out  of  Rio  to  look  for  him  at  a  friend's 
house.  As  soon  as  they  had  had  dinner  they  started  to  come 
to  us,  had  found  Mine.  Bontems  just  starting  for  our  ship, 
and,  papa  told  us,  uncle  Henry  gave  up  his  nice  covered 
boat  to  her  as  it  was  raining,  while  he  and  papa  came  out 
in  a  damp  little  canoe.  Mine.  Bontems  was  delighted 
with  such  politeness ! 

When  my  uncle  went  away,  he  told  us  we  must  all  be 
ready  to  go  ashore  with  him  the  next  day.  Mamma  told 
him  she  was  sure  he  would  not  have  room  for  us  all,  but 
he  said  gayly :  "  We  will  do  what  we  can,  and  I  know  you 
will  not  grumble." 

Saturday,  September  18t7i 

I  must  interrupt  my  story  about  Rio  to  tell  of  a  great 
fright  which  we  had  last  evening  about  Stephanie.  We 
were  all  on  the  poop,  enjoying  the  fresh  air  and  trying  to 
amuse  mamma,  who  was  very  sad  at  leaving  my  uncle, 
when  suddenly  the  officer  gave  an  order  to  the  crew 
which  made  it  necessary  for  us  to  get  out  of  the  way.  So 
we  pushed  our  chairs  back  against  the  little  railing  of  the 
poop,  which  is  a  dangerous-looking  thing,  as  it  has  only  a 


166  MARGUERITE   AT    SEA. 

bar  with  no  lattice  work.  I  felt  really  frightened  when  I 
saw  how  rough  the  sea  was,  but  Mademoiselle,  who  always 
thinks  of  others  and  not  of  herself,  slipped  between  me 
and  the  railing  and  held  me  fast.  At  this  moment  mam 
ma  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  which  could  be  heard,  in  spite 
of  the  waves  and  rattling  ropes,  "  Stephanie ! "  We 
looked  around  and  could  see  no  Stephanie.  I  could  feel 
Mademoiselle's  hand  grow  cold,  but  she  called  firmly, 
"  Stephanie  ! "  and  then  a  little  voice  said,  "  Here  I  am." 
"VVe  turned,  and  there  was  Stephanie,  with  one  hand  around 
the  railing,  under  which  she  had  slipped,  and  the  other 
hand  grasping  Mademoiselle's  skirt.  It  made  me  tremble 
to  look  at  her.  Mademoiselle  seized  her  and  gave  her  to 
mamma,  while  we  all  exclaimed,  "  What  were  you  doing 
there,  Stephanie?"  The  poor  child  could  not  answer, 
but  only  hid  her  face  on  mamma's  shoulder  and  cried.  I 
felt  quite  impatient  and  said : 

"  Why  do  you  not  speak,  Stephanie  ?  You  frightened 
ITS  almost  to  death,  and  now  you  will  not  tell  us  what  you 
were  doing ! " 

"  It  was  nothing  very  strange,"  said  Stephanie.  "  I  was 
holding  Mademoiselle.  Supppose  she  had  fallen  ?  " 

I  felt  so  ashamed,  and  I  kissed  Stephanie,  saying : 

"  Oh  how  much  better  you  are  than  I  am,  for  I  only 
thought  of  falling  myself ! " 

"  But  why  do  cry,  my  darling  ? "  said  mamma. 

"Because  I  was  so  afraid,"  replied  Stephanie  softly; 
"  the  sea  was  so  black  ! "  Poor  little  girl,  we  could  not 
wonder  that  she  was  frightened,  and  how  brave  she  had 
tried  to  be  for  Mademoiselle ! 

Mamma  and  Mademoiselle  did  not  praise  her,  but  how 
tender  and  loving  they  were  to  her  when  they  took  her 
away  to  go  to  bed !  I  felt  so  thankful  that  God  had  saved 


MARGUERITE   AT    SEA.  167 

her  from  the  horrible  death  which  she  might  have  had. 
As  Marie  and  Jeanne  and  I  were  going  to  bed,  we  had  a 
long  talk  about  Stephanie's  unselfishness,  and  both  Jeanne 
and  I  concluded  that  we  thought  more  of  our  own  comfort 
than  any  of  the  others.  Mamma  is  always  thinking  of 
other  people,  so  is  Marie,  and  Mademoiselle  never  thinks 
of  herself  at  all ;  she  is  more  like  an  angel  than  a  woman. 
I  must  pray  to  God  to  help  me  to  be  unselfish  too. 

I  have  been  trying  to-day  to  do  something  for  others, 
which  was  not  very  pleasant  to  myself,  and  it  has  made 
me  very  happy.  We  were  all  playing  on  deck  together, 
when  Laura  Bontems  caught  her  foot  in  a  rope  and  fell.' 
Adele  picked  her  up,  and  exclaimed  : 

"  There,  you  have  torn  your  dress  again  !  How  provok 
ing  it  is,  and  I  shall  have  to  mend  it !  But  mamma  will 

O  J 

punish  you." 

Laura  began  to  sob,  "  Oh,  mamma  will  whip  me ! 
mamma  will  whip  -me !  " 

Marie  came  up  to  comfort  her,  while  she  said  to  Adele : 

"  Could  you  not  mend  her  dress  so  that  Mine.  Bontems 
would  not  notice  it  \  " 

"  Oh,  indeed,  how  good  you  are — to  want  me  to  work  in 
stead  of  playing !  It  is  bad  enough  when  I  have  to  sew." 

"  Well,"  said  Marie,  "  come  with  me,  Laura,  and  I  will 
do  it  for  yon." 

All  of  a  sudden  I  thought  I  would  like  to  make  this  little 
sacrifice,  so  I  begged  Marie  to  let  me  take  Laura  and  mend 
her  dress.  Marie  kindly  consented,  and  although  Adele 
tried  to  laugh  at  me,  I  went  off  very  happily,  leading 
Laura  by  the  hand,  Fortunately  mamma  has  taught  me 
how  to  sew  well,  so  I  could  mend  the  torn  dress  very  nicely. 
Adele  felt  ashamed,  for  she  followed  me,  and  waited  for 
Laura  to  go  on  with  the  game  we  were  playing. 


168  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

To-day  we  have  had  a  cannon  exercise,  which  was  very 
amusing.  All  the  gunners  were  at  their  pieces,  while  the 
officers  gave  orders  and  commands,  as  if  the  ship  were 
being  attacked.  The  cabin-boys  were  all  placed  at  the 
hatchways,  passing  up  the  cartridges  as  they  were  needed. 
I  could  not  help  laughing  to  see  our  Georget  working 
so  soberly.  But  I  think  our  vessel  would  be  very  well  de 
fended  if  we  met  an  enemy. 

I  like  very  much  to  see  the  gun  exercise  too,  with  the  sail 
ors  all  placed  in  line  on  the  deck,  with  their  neat,  pretty 
dress.  I  think  I  have  never  spoken  of  a  ceremony  which 
takes  place  every  evening,  and  which  I  always  like  to 
watch.  They  call  it  "  down  all  hammocks."  At  a  certain 
time  a  signal  is  given,  the  sailors  form  in  line,  and  passing 
along  the  bulwarks  (which  are  the  walls  of  the  Isere)  on 
each  side,  they  raise  the  tarpaulin,  behind  which  is  a  sort  of 
wardrobe  for  their  beds.  Each  man  takes  his  bed,  or 
rather  hammock,  puts  it  on  his  back,  and  in  a  moment  all 
are  in  the  battery,  hanging  their  hammocks  on  hooks  placed 
there  for  that  purpose.  In  another  moment  all  are  in  bed. 

Saturday,  September  Wth, 

Punctually  at  nine  o'clock,  as  my  uncle  had  promised, 
his  boat  was  at  the  side  of  the  Isere  to  take  us  ashore. 
We  were  soon  ready  to  go,  merry  enough  all  of  us,  and  a 
big  boatful  we  made.  It  was  queer  work  going  down 
the  side  of  the  ship  on  the  funny  little  rope  ladder,  and 
I  do  not  think  either  mamma  or  Mademoiselle  liked  it 
any  better  that  I  did.  We  had  asked  permission  of  the 
captain  to  take  Georget  ashore  with  us  to  help  Babet ; 
and  how  happy  he  looked,  with  his  bright  eyes  and  white 
teeth !  None  of  the  other  cabin-boys  could  go  ashore,  and 
hard  enough  it  must  be  for  them. 


MAKGIJERITE    AT   SEA. 

We  had  negroes  to  row  our  boat,  and  poor  Berthe  was 
dreadfully  afraid  of  them,  and  screamed  so  loudly  when 
one  of  them  tried  to  carry  her  ashore  that  my  uncle  had 
to  take  her,  while  baby,  too,  looked  at  them,  with  his  blue 
eyes  very  wide  open. 

How  pleasant  it  wras  to  be  on  the  firm  ground  again ; 
but  at  first  we  could  hardly  walk  at  all ;  everything  seemed 
moving  up  and  down,  so  that  my  uncle  had  to  give 
mamma  his  arm,  while  papa"  helped  Mademoiselle.  I 
wished  for  Gustave,  not  only  to  help  me,  but  that  he 
might  enjoy,  too,  all  those  new  sights  which  amused  us  so 
much. 

The  houses  and  streets  all  looked  new  and  strange  to 

o 

us.  We  met  the  negroes  carrying  packages  and  hurrying 
past,  singing  as  they  went,  which  seemed  very  queer. 
Some  of  the  streets  are  very  ugly  and  dirty  ;  but  there  are 
two  or  three  fine  ones,  and  in  one  of  these  my  uncle  lives. 
He  only  has  the  ground  floor  of  a  house,  as  he  is  on  shore 
very  little,  and  the  rest  of  the  house  is  occupied  by  a  M. 
Daya  and  his  wife.  They  very  kindly  gave  up  a  couple 
of  rooms  for  us  while  we  were  there,  and  we  were  very 
comfortable,  with  our  mattresses  on  the  floor. 

Our  first  breakfast  on  shore  was  a  great  treat.  Uncle 
Harry  asked  each  one  to  say  what  they  liked  best,  so 
mamma  chose  cafe  au  lait,  Mademoiselle,  Marie,  Jeanne 
and  I  asked  for  a  salad,  while  Stephanie  and  Berthe  cried 
out  for  a  cup  of  fresh  milk.  There  were  plenty  of  other 
things  on  the  table  which  were  very  nice.  The  fruit  was 
beautiful,  and  Jeanne  cried  out  with  joy  when  she  saw 
the  cocoa-nut  and  palm  trees  like  those  at  Bourbon. 

The  first  time  I  saw  a  banana  tree,  I  asked  a  question 
which  made  every  one  laugh.  The  banana  has  very  long, 
large  leaves,  which  are  so  thin  and  delicate  that  the  least 


170  MAEGUEKITE   AT   SEA. 

wind  breaks  them,  and  makes  the  edges  of  the  leaves  look 
as  if  they  were  fringed.  When  I  saw  them  I  said,  "  O 
Uncle  Henry !  who  amuses  themselves  by  cutting  these 
leaves  so  carefully  ?  "  It  was  very  foolish,  but  I  was  sure 
it  was  done  on  purpose. 

I  must  stop  to  take  my  lunch,  and  rest  a  little.  They 
caught  a  chess-board  this  morning,  and  I  want  very  much 
to  see  it ;  it  is  a  very  pretty  bird,  and  has  its  name,  I  sup 
pose,  from  its  black  and  white  feathers,  which  look  like 
the  boards  on  which  they  play  the  game  of  chess. 

But  I  must  finish  telling  about  Rio,  and  not  interrupt 
my  story  so  often.  Every  day  my  uncle  took  us  to  drive 
in  a  huge  carriage  that  would  hold  us  all.  We  went  to 
visit  several  friends  of  Uncle  Henry,  who  have  beautiful 
country  places  not  far  from  the  city,  and  where  every  one 
was  very  kind  and  polite  to  us. 

In  the  city,  my  uncle  took  us  to  a  milliner  who  had  her 
bonnets  from  Paris,  and  made  us  choose  some  to  give  him 
pleasure  ;  and  mine  is  charming.  Then  he  was  so  good 
in  providing  us  with  all  sorts  of  nice  things  to  take  on 
board  ship  with  us  :  a  big  box  of  arrowroot,  two  great  jars 
full  of  guava  preserves,  oranges,  and  many  other  nice 
things. 

But  I  think  what  I  like  best  of  all  are  the  books  which 
Uncle  Henry  gave  to  Marie  and  me  to  read.  How  we 
shall  enjoy  them  when  we  get  tired  of  the  sea  and  of  our 
amusements  on  the  ship  !  But  I  hear  the  children  calling 
out  and  laughing  on  deck,  and  I  must  go  and  see  what  is 
the  matter. 

Monday,  September  2QtJi. 

As  soon  as  I  ran  on  deck  yesterday  I  saw  a  great  crowd 
gathered  about  something  on  the  poop.  Every  one  was 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  171 

there  laughing  and  talking,  and  in  the  midst  of  them 
were  two  strong  sailors  holding  something  which  straggled 
violently.  As  I  came  near  them  I  saw  they  were  holding 
a  huge  bird  that  was  moving  its  head  back  and  forth, 
trying  in  every  way  to  escape,  and  it  was  so  strong  that 
the  sailors  had  hard  work  to  hold  it.  Poor  bird,  it  made 
me  unhappy  to  look  at  it ;  and  yet  how  beautiful  it  was  ! 
They  told  me  it  was  an  albatross,  and  they  had  caught  it 
with  a  hook  while  it  was  swimming  after  the  ship  like  a 
beautiful  swan.  They  are  going  to  try  and  keep  it  alive 
for  some  days,  but  it  will  be  too  unhappy  to  live  long,  and 
it  seems  very  cruel  to  catch  it. 

But  I  must  go  back  and  write  about  Rio,  only  now  I 
have  to  tell  about  leaving  there,  which  we  were  all  so 
sorry  to  do.  Uncle  Henry  was  so  kind  to  me,  almost  like 
my  father,  only  he  paid  me  compliments,  which  papa  never 
does.  One  day,  when  mamma  was  arranging  my  hair, 
which  has  grown  very  long,  Uncle  Henry  came  in,  and, 
taking  up  one  of  my  curls,  said  to  mamma  : 

"  What  splendid  hair  the  child  has,  Elisa ;  it  is  as  hand 
some  as  yours." 

"  Do  you  think  she  looks  like  me  ? "  asked  mamma ; 
"  people  sometimes  say  she  is  my  image,  but  others  think 
differently." 

"  No,  she  is  not  like  either  you  or  Guy  on.  ITer  eyes  are 
a  little  like  yours,  only  yours  are  soft  and  gentle,  and  her's 
are  bright  and  shining.  But  what  a  complexion  she  has  ! 
it  is  as  fresh  as  a  rose." 

"  Come,  come,"  said  mamma,  "  do  not  spoil  my  little 
girl ;  she  does  not  think  of  such  things  yet." 

"  Do  you  believe  it  ?  I  will  answer  for  it  that  Marguerite 
knows  already  that  she  is  very  pretty,  and  graceful, 
too." 


172  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

"  Do  yon  mean  me,  uncle  ? "  I  cried.  "  I  do  not  think 
BO  at  all,  and  I  am  sure  that  you  are  laughing  at  me." 

"  Oh,  little  hypocrite  !  "  said  uncle,  laughing  heartily, 
"you  cannot  deceive  me;  this  is  not  the  first  time  I 
know  that  you  have  had  a  compliment." 

"  No,  uncle,  but  Mademoiselle  tells  me  that  people  only 
say  such  things  to  little  girls  to  please  their  parents." 

"  Well,"  said  Uncle  Henry,  "  I  cannot  say  it  to  please 
your  mamma,  for  she  looks  almost  angry  with  me." 

"  You  are  foolish,  Henry,"  said  mamma ;  "  but  I  hope 
my  Marguerite  is  too  sensible  to  think  much  of  such 
things  yet." 

"Well,  I  am  very  sorry  that  Uncle  Henry  ever  said  such 
things  to  me,  for  I  have  thought  about  it  several  times 
since,  and  have  looked  in  the  glass  to  see  if  it  was  true  ; 
and  I  really  think  it  was.  I  am. ashamed  to  tell  Mademoi 
selle,  but  I  hope  she  will  read  about  it  in  my  Journal. 

We  went  on  board  my  uncle's  ship,  because  mamma 
wanted  to  see  where  and  how  he  had  lived.  It  was  all 
very  nice,  and  I  was  delighted  to  find  in  his  room  such  a 
pretty  little  portrait  of  mamma  when  she  was  a  little  girl. 

Oh  how  unhappy  we  were  when  our  last  day  came ! 
Even  Mine.  Daya  cried,  although  she  had  known  us  but  a 
little  while,  but  she  had  learned  to  love  mamma,  and  was  so 
very  fond  of  baby.  We  have  all  written  long,  long  letters 
to  Gustave  and  AJberic,  which  we  hope  will  reach  them 
safely.  When  the  dinner  was  over,  and  the  time  came  to 
start  for  the  vessel,  how  full  our  hearts  were !  Even  papa 
looked  sad,  and  poor  mamma's  tear?  '  ...^  oeen  falling  for 
a  long  time. 

I  heard  Uncle  Henry  talking  to  her,  as  we  went  through 
the  streets,  urging  her  to  have  good  courage  and  faith  for 
the  future. 


MAKGUEKITE   AT   SEA.  173 

"  O  Henry ! "  said  mamma,  "  the  future  looks  so  dark  to 
me.  I  cannot  tell  you  what  sad  presentiments  I  have. 
The  separation  from  you  and  from  Gustave,  the  thought  of 
my  children  being  exposed  to  this  terrible  climate — oh  how 
it  oppresses  me  !  " 

"  But  you  see  how  well  they  have  borne  the  voyage  thus 
far,  Elisa.  Try  to  think  only  of  the  duty  you  are  paying 
to  your  husband,  and  believe  that  God  will  protect  you  all." 

"  And  you  will  pray  for  me,  Henry.  You  have  not  for 
gotten  the  faith  of  your  childhood  nor  the  lessons  of  our 
dear  mother?" 

"  ISTo,  Elisa,  I  shall  never  forget  them,  for  a  sailor's  life 
is  well  calculated  to  keep  fresh  all  religious  teachings. 
Every  day  I  learn  something  new  of  God's  presence  and 
goodness. " 

"  God  be  thanked, "  said  mamma.  "  I  know  the  sea  is  a 
good  teacher.  Edward,  too,  is  really  religious,  and  I  hope 
the  day  will  come —  "  Here  mamma  whispered  something 
which  I  could  not  hear,  but  I  knew  what  she  meant — that 
some  day  papa  would  do  what  we  all  had  prayed  for  so 
earnestly. 

Uncle  Henry  then  spoke  of  Gustave,  and  told  mamma 
that  it  was  quite  probable  that  he  might  soon  go  to  France, 
where  he  would  certainly  visit  his  nephew,  and  mamrna 
was  comforted  to  think  this  might  happen. 

Uncle  Henry  went  with' us  on  board  the  Isere,  and  re 
mained  for  some  time  walking  up  and  down  the  deck  with 
papa  and  mamma.  I  felt  proud  that  all  the  officers  should 
see  him,  for  he  looked  so  handsome.  He  is  very  fair,  in 
stead  of  dark,  like  mamma,  and  with  his  tall,  fine  figure 
and  pleasant  face,  makes  every  one  admire  him. 

It  was  indeed  very  hard  to  say  good-by,  and  poor  mam 
ma  could  hardly  make-up  her  mind  to  let  him  go.  He 


174  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

tried  to  smile,  when  he  kissed  us  all,  but  I  could  see  that 
he  was  really  very  sad. 

The  next  morning  I  was  waked  at  5  o'clock  by  hearing 
them  raise  the  anchor,  the  sailors  all  walking  back  and 
forth ;  turning  the  capstan  makes  a  great  racket.  I  saw 
poor  mamma  leaning  out  of  the  open  port-hole,  and  strain 
ing  her  eyes  for  a  last  look  at  Rio,  where  she  was  leaving 
Uncle  Henry.  In  a  very  little  time  the  rolling  and  pitch 
ing  of  the  Isere  began  to  make  us  all  uncomfortable. 
How  strange  it  is  that  we  cannot  get  used  to  it !  Poor 
Gn stave !  it  is  two  months  to-day  since  we  left  him. 

Tuesday,  September  21st. 

We  Ijiave  caught  another  albatross,  and  several  smaller 
birds.  This  morning  M.  Leblond  brought  me  one  as  a 
present,  which  the  sailors  had  given  him.  As  we  were 
playing  with  it,  Marie  came  running  down  from  the  deck 
to  call  us  to  see  one  which  had  just  been  caught  with  a 
blue  ribbon  around  its  neck.  We  all  tumbled  up  the  lad 
der  one  over  the  other  in  our  eagerness  to  see  this  curi 
osity.  M.  de  Vere'showed  us  a  little  piece  of  paper  which 
he  had  found  under  the  blue  ribbon  around  the  bird's 
neck;  on  the  paper  was  written,  "  Anna,  on  board  the 
Camille."  How  surprised  we  all  were!  and  every  one  be 
gan  talking  about  this  Anna  and  wondering  who  she 
could  be.  Some  of  the  officers  thought  she  must  be  on 
board  a  vessel  quite  near  us,  as  the  paper  had  not  yet  been 
wet.  I  said  she  must  be  very  kind,  since  she  had  set  the 
little  bird  free,  and  that  I  should  do  the  same  for  mine. 

When  I  brought  it  on  deck,  M.  Suze  made  me  put  my 
name  on  a  piece  of  paper :  "  Marguerite,  on  board  the 
Isere,"  and  then  he  added,  as  a  joke,  "  regards  to  Anna." 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  175 

"We  all  laughed  at  the  idea  of  Anna  reading  this  little 
note,  and  sent  off  the  little  bird  quite  gayly. 

Wednesday,  September  22d. 

Yesterday,  after  our  lesson  in  the  catechism,  Mademoiselle 
talked  to  us  for  some  little  time.  Oar  lesson  had  been  on 
the  capital  sins,  and  she  spoke  of  the  evils  of  pride  and^ 
vanity  in  such  a  way  that  I  felt  she  was  talking  to 
me  about  my  being  pleased  at  my  uncle's  compliments. 
She  told  us  of  how  much  more  importance  it  was  that 
our  souls  should  be  beautiful  and  pleasing  in  God's  eyes 
than  that  we  should  have  pretty  faces  or  graceful  figures. 
How  often  it  might  be  that,  in  our  pride  and  pleasure  at 
being  pretty  or  graceful,  we  would  forget  the  cleanness  of 
our  souls,  and  then  all  would  be  marred  and  spoiled. 

I  felt  truly  ashamed  that  I  had  ever  thought  again  of 
what  my  uncle  said,  and  after  this  I  shall  try  to  forget 
it,  and  make  my  soul  beautiful,  or  at  least  less  ugly. 

Friday,  September  2±th. 

I  could  not  wrrite  my  Journal  yesterday,  for  the  sea 
was  so  rough.  Oh  how  the  ship  rolled  and  pitched !  We 
were  all  sea-sick,  and  could  not  do  anything.  Even  Made 
moiselle  found  it  impossible.  They  tell  us  that  we  have 
a  head-wind,  which  makes  the  motion  of  the  vessel  so  dis 
agreeable. 

Yesterday  morning,  as  wre  were  leaving  our  state-rooms 
to  go  on  deck,  we  heard  loud  shouts  and  laughter  from 
the  battery,  where  the  sailors  were  at  breakfast.  Berthe 
ran  forward  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  but  in  a  moment 
she  came  rushing  back  with  her  eyes  very  wide  open,  ex 
claiming,  "  A  whale !  a  whale  has  come  in  the  port-hole  !  " 
Mademoiselle  began  to  laugh,  saying : 


176  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

"  But,  little  goosey,  that  is  not  possible." 

"  Yes,  Mile.,  for  all  the  sailors  cried  out,  {A  whale ! ' " 

"  But  did  you  see  him  ? " 

"  No,  because  I  ran  away  ! " 

"We  all  laughed,  and  went  on  to  find  the  sailors  wiping 
up  a  pool  of  water,  but  no  whale  was  to  be  seen.  As  I 
passed  by  old  Mario,  I  said  to  him : 

"  What  is  this  that  Berthe  tells  us  about  a  whale?" 
Mario  laughed  heartily,  as  he  replied  : 

"  Oh  !  ha  !  we  sailors  call  it  a  whale,  when  a  big  wave 
jumps  in  on  us  without  asking  our  leave.  One  came  just 
now  to  make  sauce  for  our  breakfast."  The  sailors  have 
strange  names  for  many  things  ;  they  call  the  little  waves 
covered  with  foam  sheep — and  sometimes  we  can  hardly 
understand  what  they  are  talking  about. 

We  often  see  sharks  around  our  ship,  and  once  they 
actually  caught  one.  What  a  great,  horrible  thing  it  was ! 
All  of  us  children  ran  away ;  but  I  went  into  papa's 
room,  and  peeped  out  of  the  window  ;  but  when  I  saw 
how  strong  it  was,  and  how  it  floundered  about  the  deck, 
striking  great  blows  with  its  tail,  I  could  not  bear  to  look 
at  it.  One  of  the  sailors  brought  me  afterwards  such  a 
queer  little  fish,  which  he  said  they  found  on  the  shark's 
back,  where  it  always  lives.  It  must  be  a  strange  home. 

In  the  evening  we  saw  the  shark  killed,  and  fastened 
between  two  of  the  masts.  It  was  immense — fourteen  feet 
long,  they  said,  and  it  made  me  shudder  to  look  at  the 
rows  of  horrible,  white  sharp  teeth,  which  close  so  firmly 
over  any  one's  arm  or  leg  that  they  can  seize.  The 
sailors  ate  the  flesh  of  this  horrid  shark,  but  I  would  not 
have  touched  it  for  all  the  world. 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  177 

Sunday,  September  26th. 

We  still  have  very  rough  weather.  Yesterday  I  could 
not  write  at  all.  This  morning  we  had  Mass  in  the  cabin, 
and  poor  mamma  got  out  of  bed  to  go,  but  she  could 
hardly  stay  until  the  end.  If  it  is  as  stormy  next  Sunday, 
we  shall  not  try  to  have  Mass,  for  which  we  shall  all  be 
very  sorry. 

After  Mass,  Marie  and  I  read  a  little  together ;  it  was 
a  chapter  on  Humility.  When  she  finished,  Marie  said  to 
me : 

"  You  do  not  need  these  lessons,  Marguerite,  but  I  feel 
that  I  do,  and  I  have  thought  a  great  deal  of  what 
Mademoiselle  Yalmy  said  the  other  day  about  pride  and 
vanity." 

"Why,  Marie,"  I  cried,  "did  you  really  think  that 
Mademoiselle  was  speaking  to  yon,  when  all  the  time  she 
was  correcting  me  \  " 

"  That  is  not  probable,"  said  Marie,  "  for  no  one  has  less 
pride  than  you,  Marguerite." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Marie.  I  was  beginning  to  be  very 
vain,  because  my  uncle  had  paid  me  compliments ;  but, 
happily,  since  Mademoiselle  spoke  to  me,  I  have  tried  to 
feel  differently.  But  tell  me,  Marie,  are  you  proud  of 
your  face  too  ?  " 

"  Of  my  face  !  "  replied  Marie  ;  "  why  should  I  be  ? " 

"  Because  you  are  very,  very  pretty." 

"  I  do  not  think  so  ;  indeed,  I  do  not  think  of  such 
things  at  all." 

"  Then  why  do  yon  say  you  are  proud  ? " 

"  I  can  hardly  tell  yon,  Marguerite.  But  I  feel  that  I  do 
not  like  to  be  guided  by  others,  nor  to  acknowledge  myself 
in  the  wrong,  nor  to  feel  that  I  make  a  mistake.  I  can 
hardly  explain  my  pride,  even  to  myself,  but  I  feel  that  I  am 


178  MAKGI7ERITE   AT   SEA. 

not  gentle  and  humble-minded,  as  our  Lord  tells  us  we 
should  be." 

"  But,  Marie,  I  think  you  blame  yourself  too  much,  for 
you  always  ask  ad  vice"  from  mamma  and  Mademoiselle, 
and  often  obey  them,  and  you  never  complain  of  others,  as 
I  do.  Besides,  you  are  willing  to  speak  of  your  faults  to 
me,  and  I  so  much  the  younger." 

"  "What  would  you  think  of  me,  Marguerite,  if  I  did  not 
listen  to  those  whom  God  has  so  mercifully  sent  to  me  in 
my  loneliness  ?  But  what  shall  I  do  when  you  are  no 
longer  with  me  ?  " 

The  tears  were  in  Marie's  eyes  as  I  kissed  her  and  whis 
pered,  "  We  will  pray  for  you,  my  sister" 

Thursday,  September  30th. 

Oh  how  frightened  we  have  been  during  the  last  few 
days !  -  A  storm  at  sea  and  on  shore  are  very  different 
things.  But  it  really  makes  me  quite  angry  to  hear  the 
captain  and  officers  say  that  we  were  not  in  any  danger, 
because  we  were  not  very  near  the  land.  If  our  ship  had 
foundered,  I  think  we  should  have  been  drowned  quickly 
enough  without  being  thrown  on  the  land.  For  my  part, 
I  should  prefer  to  have  the  ship  run  ashore,  for  then  we 
might  have  a  little  hope  that  some  one  would  save  us. 
At  any  rate,  I  should  like  to  see  the  land,  if  only  for  one 
moment,  before  I  died. 

Sunday  evening,  after  I  wrote  last,  the  storm  grew 
worse  and  worse^  We  could  not  sleep,  for  the  sailors 
were  constantly  marching  over  our  heads,  as  they  obeyed 
the  orders  of  the  officers  of  the  watch.  Whenever  I 
think  of  that  horrid  whistle  of  the  boatswain's  mate,  it 
makes  me  shudder.  All  through  the  dark  night  we  could 
hear  k  so  sharp  and  shrill.  Then  there  would  be  silence 
on  deck  for  a  time,  then  a  deep  voice  would  say  some- 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  179 

thing,  and  the  next  moment  the  deck  overhead  was 
trembling  under  the  tread  of  many  feet,  as  the  sailors 
obeyed  the  order  of  the  officer  on  watch. 

On  Monday  the  rain  and  wind  still  continued.  We 
could  not  go  on  deck,  the  battery  was  quite  dark,  with  all 
the  port-holes  closed,  and  soon  the  companion-way  was 
covered  by  a  hood  of  tarpaulin  to  keep  out  the  rain.  It 
wras  very  dull.  Some  of  the  officers  were  playing  cards, 
and  the  good  priests,  M.  Verrier  and  M.  Bertrand,  came  in 
to  see  us,  which  was  very  pleasant.  They  told  us  a  good 
deal  about  their  missions,  which  interested  us  very  much. 

On  Tuesday  the  wind  was  still  higher.  The  poor  Isere 
did  not  know  what  to  do  with  herself  ;  she  turned  from 
side  to  side  as  if 'she  had  a  convulsion,  groaning  piteously,  for 
all  her  planks  creaked  and  cracked.  Papa  came  to  tell  us 
not  to  think  of  going  out  to  breakfast,  for  we  could  not 
stand  upright.  The  captain  sent  our  breakfast  to  our 
rooms,  and  if  we  had  not  been  so  frightened,  it  would 
have  been  funny  enough  to  take  our  breakfast  sitting  on 
the  Hoor  like  the  sailors.  The  pitcher  went  in  one  direc 
tion,  our  plates  and  cups  in  another,  and  we  had  to  eat  as 
we  could.  Poor  mamma  looked  very  pale,  and  Made 
moiselle  was  grave,  and  dear  little  baby  was  quite  sick. 
He  is  cutting  some  large  teeth,  and  this  stormy  weather 
makes  him  still  worse. 

We  had  to  stay  in  the  state-rooms  all  day,  which  was 
horribly  tiresome.  I  longed  for  the  day  to  be  over,  and . 
yet  when  night  came,  I  was  so  frightened.  Neither 
mamma  nor  Mademoiselle,  went  to  bed,  and  every  now  and 
then  papa  would  come  in  and  talk  to  them  about  the 
storm.  At  last  Marie  and  I  got  up  and  dressed  our 
selves.  The  children  were  all  in  the  lower  berths,  for  they 
could  not  keep  in  the  upper  ones.  All  that  was  on  our 


180  MAKGUEKITE   AT   SEA. 

shelves  rolled  off,  the  clothes  on  'the  hooks  fell  to  the 
ground,  our  trunks  slid  from  one  side  to  the  other.  What 
a  confusion  it  was !  As  I  begged  papa  to  stay  with  us, 
he  sat  down  for  a  little  while,  but  when  he  saw  us  so 
frightened,  he  groaned  and  said — "  Oh,  what  women ! 
what  women !  " 

At  last,  towards  morning  the  storm  fell  a  little.  Yester 
day  was  not  so  terrible,  although  the  sea  was  still  very 
rough,  and  so  black  and  gloomy ;  we  had  quite  lost  our 
beautiful  blue  water. 

We  are  a  great  way  from  the  Cape  now,  and  they  say 
there  is  no  danger.^  But  as  Marie  and  I  were  sitting  on 
deck  for  a  moment  last  evening,  we  heard  the  captain  say 
to  papa : 

"  We  shall  do,  provided  the  wind  does  not  rise  again.  It 
has  changed,  and  would  whistle  us  a  different  tune  from 
this  quarter,  do  you  not  think  so  ?  "  I  saw  papa  look  at  me 
out  of  the  corner  of  his  eye,  while  he  replied  : 

"  Oh,  well,  you  can  stand  the  whistle  well  enough,  I 
think."  But  Marie  and  I  both  felt  troubled,  and  did  not 
tell  mamma  what  we  had  heard.  Oh,  I  hope  that  God 
will  have  pity  upon  us.  .  • 

Tuesday,  October  5th. 

A  very  little  more,  and  I  should  never  have  written  my 
Journal  again.  Every  one  acknowledges  now  that  we  were 
very  near  to  being  lost.  It  makes  one  shudder  to  remem 
ber  those  dreadful  days  and  nights,  and  yet  I  must  try  to 
write  about  them. 

Well,  Thursday  night  was,  I  believe,  quite  calm,  but  I  do 
not  know  much  about  what  happened,  as  1  slept  so  heavily. 
But  on  Friday  the  vessel  rolled  heavily,  and  the  sky  was 
very  dark  and  covered  by  masses  of  black  clouds;  the 
wind  was  so  strong  that  we  made  ten  knots  an  hour,  and 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  181 

thly  said  at  that  rate  we  should  reach  Bourbon  in  fifteen 
days.  But  every  one  looked  grave. 

We  made  great  progress  before  this  strong  wind  until 
midday  on  Saturday,  but  we  were  very  uncomfortable. 
The  air  was  so  heavy  in  the  state-rooms,  and  yet  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  go  on  deck.  Mademoiselle  took  Marie 
and  me  up  for  a  short  time,  but  we  were  obliged  to  sit  in 
one  place,  and  look  at  the  black,  angry,  gloomy  sea. 
It  made  me  feel  almost  terrified  at  the  thought  that  per- 
haps  we  should  soon  all  be  at  its  mercy. 

When  I  spoke  to  Mile,  about  it,  she  reminded  me  that 
God's  eye  was  upon  us  always,  and  that  1  must  try  to  think 
of  His  care  and  protection. 

"  I  know,  Mademoiselle,  that  it  is  wrong  to  be  so  afraid," 
I  replied,  "but  it  seems  so  terrible  to  be  drowned." 

"  It  must  be  a  quick  death,"  said  Marie,  "  but  I  confess 
I  would  rather  die  on  shore." 

"  O  Marie,"  I  said,  "  you  would  only  go  to  join  your  dear 
mother,  but  I  should  have  to  see  mine  die,  and  the  children, 
and  dear  little  baby." 

"  Do  not  let  us  talk  about  it  any  more,  my  children,"  said 
Mademoiselle ;  "  let  us  have  trust  in  God,  and  be  hopeful." 

At  this  moment  the  sailors  began  to  make  a  change  in  the 
sails,  and  we  were  obliged  to  go  down  again  ;  as  we  passed 
through  the  battery,  I  heard  one  sailor  say  to  another : 

"  Well,  old  fellow,  this  is  getting  to  be  pretty  warm  work. 
In  another  hour  the  Isere  will  be  dancing  a  fine  jig!" 
I  grew  very  pale,  and  was  about  to  scream  out,  when 
Adele,  who  had  also  heard  these  words,  began  to  cry  with 
all  her  might.  Mine.  Bontems  was  very  angry,  and  scolded 
the  sailor  for  frightening  her  daughter,  but  he  only 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  made  no  reply. 

Both  Marie  and  I  had  asked  Mademoiselle  to  allow  us 


182  MARGUERITE   AT    SEA. 

to  make  a  confession  to  M.  Yerrier,  in  case  the  storm  con 
tinued  so  violent :  we  could  not  bear  to  think  of  dying  with- 

«/          O 

out  it.     Mademoiselle  had  spoken  to  mamma  about  it,  and 
she  had  consented,  so  we  had  made  our  examination  and 
were  prepared.     Mademoiselle  now  came  to  tell  us  that 
M.  terrier  was  now  with  mamma,  and  that  each  of  usv 
should  go  to  him  in  turn. 

We  all  made  our  confession,  and  M.  Yerrier  spoke  to  us 
all  such  beautiful  and  comforting  words.  Berthe  was  the 
only  one  who  did  not  confess,  and  she  said  so  piteously  :  "  So 
I  am  the  only  one  who  has  to  keep  their  sins,  and  God  will 
be  angry  with  me ! "  So  M.  Yerrier  told  her  she  might 
repeat  some  prayers,  and  acknowledge  that  she  was 
often  naughty,  which  she  did  on  her  knees,  and  with 
such  a  sober  little  face,  that  it  was  very  sweet  to  see  her. 

We  could  not  make  up  our  minds  to  go  to  bed,  for  the 
waves  seemed  growing  more  violent  every  moment.  The 
officers  came  from  time  to  time  to  speak  to  us,  and  tried  to 
look  very  cheerful  and  smiling  to  encourage  us,  but  we  could 
see  they  were  anxious.  Even  papa  tried  to  be  gay,  and 
when  I  said  to  him, 

"  O  papa  !  why  do  you  try  to  deceive  us  ?  You  do  not 
know  how  much  courage  God  has  given  us  !  " 

"  I  shall  put  it  to  the  proof,  my  child,"  he  replied,  as  he 
did  indeed,  but  later. 

Mamma  begged  Mademoiselle  to  go  and  ask  after  the 
good  Sisters,  and  she  took  me  with  her.  We  found  them 
calm  and  even  smiling,  and  when  I  spoke  of  it,  in  surprise, 
they  replied  :  "  Oh,  we  have  seen  many  storms  before  this 
one,"  which  comforted  me,  as  I  thought  we  might,  after 
all,  escape.  We  went  to  see  Mme.  Bontems,  and  found  her 
very  much  excited  and  frightened  ;  her  state-room  was 
half  full  of  water,  and  I  felt  very  sorry  for  her.  Made- 


MARGUERITE    AT    SEA.  183 

moiselle  said  all  she  could  to  comfort  her,  but  she  hardly 
listened  to  what  she  said,  and  was  almost  rude. 

Wednesday,  October  6th. 

We  had  a  great  fright  yesterday  about  poor  little  baby. 
He  was  lying  on  mamma's  lap,  when  suddenly  he  was  seized 
with  a  sort  of  convulsion.  It  did  not  last  but  a  moment,  and 
the  doctor  assures  us  that  it  was  nothing  very  alarming, 
as  many  children  have  convulsions  when  they  are  cutting 
their  teeth.  Poor  little  fellow,  he  looks  very  pale  to-day, 
and  mamma  seems  to  feel  much  troubled  about  him. 

But  I  must  finish  the  history  of  our  terrible  storm.  Well, 
that  unhappy  Saturday  night  we  children  went  to  bed 
about  nine  o'clock,  but  mamma  and  Mademoiselle  remained 
up.  The  wind  howled  so  that  it  sounded  like  thunder, 
and  the  sea  beat  against  the  port-hole  as  if  it  would  burst 
in  at  any  moment.  All  of  a  sudden  there  came  a  great 
crash,  and  the  deck  above  us  trembled  as  if  it  were  giving 
way.  We  thought  the  lightning  had  struck  us,  and  mam 
ma,  falling  on  her  knees,  began  to  pray,  while  I  sprang  out 
of  bed  and  rushed  into  her  arms,  crying,  "  It  is  all  over! 
it  is  all  over  ! "  Mademoiselle  was  very  pale,  but  calm,  and 
she  was  trying  to  comfort  Berthe,  who  was  crying,  while 
Marie  was  quieting  Jeanne.  Stephanie  slept  like  a  little 
angel.  Poor  Babet  was  so  frightened  that  she  looked  gray 
instead  of  black. 

In  a  few  moments,  when  we  found  the  ship  was  still  safe, 
mamma  exclaimed  : 

"I  must  have  Edward;  some  one  must  call  him  ;"  so 
Mademoiselle  opened  the  door,  and,  seeing  M.  Patre, 
begged  him  to  send  papa  to  us.  It  seemed  a  long  time 
before  papa  came;  he  had  been  on  deck  watching  the 
storm.  As  he  came  in,  mamma  cried : 


184  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

"  What  has  happened,  Edward  ? " 

"Nothing  new." 

"  But  that  clap  of  thunder,  did  you  not  hear  it  ? " 

"  Oh,"  said  papa,  smiling,  "  I  know  what  you  mean.  You 
heard  that  block  which  fell  from  the  top  of  the  main 
mast  on  the  deck,  and  it  came  very  near  my  head,  by- 
the-by." 

"  O  Edward !"  cried  mamma,  "  you  must  not  go  back 
again.  I  beg  you  will  stay  with  us." 

"  Why,  my  child,"  said  papa,  "it  would  be  easier  for  you 
to  keep  a  fish  alive  without  water  than  to  keep  a  sailor 
shut  up  in  your  state-room  during  a  storm." 

"  Then  the  sea  is  everything  to  you,"  said  mamma,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes ;  "  you  would  rather  let  your  wife  and  chil 
dren  die  without  you,  than  give  up  for  a  moment  this 
beautiful  •spectacle." 

"  You  are  crazy,  dearest,"  said  papa,  kissing  her.  "  If  I 
thought  we  were  to  die,  I  should  be  with  you,  trying  to 
save  you,  if  possible.  But  it  is  not' as  bad  as  that  yet,  and 
now  my  place  is  on  deck."  Mamma  then  begged  him  to 
promise  that  he  would  come  back  to  us  as  soon  as  the 
danger  increased,  to  which  he  agreed  at  once. 

We  did  not  go  to  bed  after  this,  but  laid  our  mattresses 
on  the  floor  of  the  state-rooms,  and  tried  to  get  a  little 
rest.  At  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  just  as  I  was  begin 
ning  to  feel  sleepy,  I  heard  mamma  cry  out  in  a  piercing 
tone,  "  Edward !  my  children  !  Gustave  1"  We  started  up 
with  a  terrible  shock,  and  then  noticed  that  the  rolling 
and  pitching  had  stopped  entirely,  and  the  ship  was  lean; 
ing  over  and  over  always  to  one  side,  without  raising 
herself. 

"Oh,  what  is  it?"  I  cried. 

"  It  is  the  end,"  said  Jeanne,  bursting  into  tears. 


MARGUEKITE   AT   SEA.  185 

"  Do  not  wake  up  the  little  ones,"  said  Mademoiselle. 

"  Yon  are  right,"  replied  mamma,  "  they  will  perhaps 
suffer  less.  Come  here,  Marguerite ;  cling  to  your  mother;" 
and  she  bent  over  and  kissed  baby,  while  she  prayed,  "  O 
dear  Lord,  have  pity  on  my  loved  ones,  on  Edward,  on  me, 
on  us  all.  O  Caroline,  what  a  moment  of  agony !  " 

"  Take  courage,  my  dearest,"  replied  Mademoiselle, 
kneeling  down  beside  us,  and  drawing  Marie  and  Jeanne 
close  to  her.  "  Do  not  let  us.  despair,  but  pray." 

I  was  so  startled  that  I  could  not  speak  ;  I  had  such  a 
sharp  pain  from  trying  not  to  scream  that  I  was  almost 
choked,  and  I  could  only  kiss  mamma's  hands,  without 
looking  at  her.  We  began  to  pray,  hoping  and  hoping  for 
papa,  for  what  seemed  an  age,  although  they  said  it  was 
a  very  short  time.  The  ship  was  still  leaning  over,  and 
how  dreadful  the  quiet  was — no  cracking  or  rolling  !  We 
could  hear  all  sorts  of  orders  and  commands  from  the 
deck.  At  last,  as  our  hearts  seemed  fainting;  within  us, 

O  7 

the  ship  cracked,  creaked,  moved,  and  then  raised  herself 
very,  very  gently,  and  in  a  moment  we  were  rolling  again 
as  usual !  Oh  how  grateful  we  were  to  feel  it  again  ! 

Papa  came  at  last,  and  when  I  rushed  to  him  and 
began  to  cry,  he  said,  "  What,  tears  again?"  but  he  did  not 
scold  me.  Mamma  held  out  her  hand,  and  said  : 

"Well?" 

"  Well,"  he  replied,  "  it  was  a  critical  moment,  but  it  is 
past.  In  consequence  of  an  order  which  was  misunder 
stood,  the  vessel  was  involved  for  a  moment,  but  she  has 
righted  herself." 

"But,  papa,  the  storm  is  just  as  bad  as  ever." 

"  You  must  try  to  get  used  to  it,  for  it  may  last  for 
twenty-four  hours  yet."  Papa  stayed  a  little  while  with 
us,  and  when  he  went  away,  I  saw  he  looked  grave. 


186  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

To-day  again,  at  3  o'clock. 

Soon  after  papa  had  left  us,  we  heard  voices  and  cries 
in  the  battery,  and  we  could  recognize  Mme.  Bontems' 
sharp  tones,  as  she  bewailed  her  miserable  condition, 
shut  up  in  a  dark  hole  to  die,  without  any  one  to  pity  her. 
Mamma  seemed  sorry  for  her,  and  asked  Mademoiselle 
if  she  did  not  think  we  ought  to  ask  Mine.  Bontems  to 
come  in  to  us.  Mademoiselle  said  she  had  no  doubt  that 
it  would  give  her  much  comfort  to  be  with  us,  so  she  went 
out  into  the  battery,  in  spite  of  the  terrible  rolling,  to 
speak  to  Mme.  Bontems. 

The  poor  woman  was  very  glad  to  accept  mamma's 
offer,  for.  she  was  very  lonely  and  unhappy.  But  she  said 
she  was  afraid  that  she  would  crowd  us  very  much,  and 
she  was  sure  that  we  only  asked  her  from  charity.  When 
they  all  came  in,  I  whispered  to  Marie,  "  Let  us  try  to  be 
amiable."  So  I  offered. my  mattress  to  Adele,  telling  her 
she  would  find  it  quite  comfortable.  She  replied,  "  Will 
not  you  lie  down  too,  then  ? " 

"Oh  no!"  1  said,  "I  will  sit  up  with  Marie."  She 
smiled,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Always  Marie ;  "  so  I  whispered 
in  Mademoiselle's  ear : 

"  Is  it  wrong  for  me  to  prefer  to  die  beside  Marie  rather 
than  Adele  ? "  Mademoiselle  replied,  softly  : 

•"  No,  my  child,  but  try  to  be  kind  and  gentle,  for  re 
member  that  God's  eye  is  upon  you." 

We  tried  to  make  the  children  as  comfortable  as  we 
could,  and  they  were  soon  asleep,  but  Mme.  Bontems 
would  go  on  talking,  which  was  very  tiresome. 

She  said  that  she  had  just  heard  one  of  the  officers  say 
that  we  were  in  greater  danger  now,  for  we  were  driving 
on  shore,  but  he  hoped  the  wjnd  would  change.  This 
startled  us  all  again  horribly,  and  made  poor  mamma 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  187 

very  faint.  Marie,  who  saw  how  much  Mme.  Bontems 
tired  mamma,  managed  to  call  her  to  look  at  little 
Suzanne,  and  kept  her  talking  for  some  time. 

In  the  midst  of  it  all  I  fell  asleep,  and  when  I  waked 
it  was  bright  daylight,  the  Bontems  family  were  gone, 
and  every  one  was  awake.  I  could  hardly  dress  myself, 
for  the  rolling  was  so  terrible,  but  as  it  was  daylight,  it 
did  not  frighten  me  so  much.  Just  as  I  was  dressed,  papa 
came  in,  and  said  to  me : 

"  Well,  my  daughter,  I  promised  to  put  your  courage  to 
the  proof ;  now  is  the  time.  Will  you  come  on  deck  with 
me  and  look  at  the  sea  ?" 

"  No,  no,  Edward,"  cried  mamma,  "  I  cannot  allow  it." 
But  I  begged  mamma  so  earnestly  to  let  me  go  that,  at 
last,  she  consented,  only  making  papa  promise  that  he 
would  not  let  go  my  hand  for  a  moment,  and  would  bring 
me  back  very  soon. 

"  I  want  to  teach  Marguerite  to  be  brave,"  said  papa, 
"  and  there  is  no  danger  whatever." 

So  I  kissed  mamma,  and  followed  papa  out  of  the 
state-room,  but  I  could  not  walk  without  holding  his  arm. 
When  we  came  to  the  foot  of  the  ladder,  papa  said  : 

"  Now  you  will  see  how  the  sea  looks  when  it  is  angry ; 
but  let  me  see  you  behave  like  a  sailor's  daughter — no 
tears  or  screams."  I  did  not  reply,  and  at  that  moment  I 
saw  the  sea.  I  shall  never  forget  it.  It  was  horrible,  and 
yet  beautiful,  but  it  made  me  tremble.  I  can  hardly 
describe  what  I  saw.  The  ship  was  plunging  and  tossing, 
first  one  side  and  then  the  other,  amongst  waves  that 
seemed  like  mountains,  whose  foam  dashed  over  the  deck 
into  our  faces.  The  deck  was  deserted,  the  water  was 
streaming  in  all  directions,  the  wind  howled  as  if  furious 
that  it  could  not  destroy  us  at  once,  and  over  all  that 


188  MARGUERITE   AT    SEA. 

gloomy,  black  sky.  I  should  have  shrunk  back  in  horror, 
but  I  remembered  that  behind  those  terrible  clouds  God 
was  looking  at  us,  and  could  save  us. 

At  this  moment  the  captain  passed  us,  and  said : 

"  Why,  Guy  on,  how  could  you  bring  that  child  to  see 
such  a  sight  ? " 

"  I  am  hardening  her,"  replied  papa.  He  had  me  in 
his  arms,  .and  I  was  growing  more  accustomed  to  the  waves, 
when  suddenly  I  saw  a  huge  one  coming  towards  us  that  I 
felt  must  swallow  us.  I  hid  my  face  and  clung  to 
papa  as  I  felt  a  dash  of  cold  water  over  me,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  great  blow,  which  seemed  to  tear  me  out  of 
papa's  arms.  I  gave  one  little  scream,  and  then  I  knew 
nothing  more  until  I  opened  my  eyes  to  find  myself  lying 
on  papa's  bed,  while  he  was  leaning  over  me  with  actually 
tears  in  his  eyes. 

"  I  am  not  drowned  then,  papa,"  I  cried,  joyfully. 

"  Not  a  bit,  little  goose,"  he  replied.  "  Come,  try  to  feel 
better,  so  that  you  can  go  to  your  mother,  who  may  be  a 
little  uneasy." 

"  Oli,  I  feel  very  well,  papa  ;  but  what  happened  ? " 

"  "What  happened  was  a  wave  on  top  of  your  head,  but 
it -need  not  make  you  ill." 

"But,  papa,  did  you  think  I  was  cowardly  to  cry  out?" 

"No  indeed,  Marguerite;  on  the  contrary,  you  are  a 
brave  girl,  and  I  am  well  pleased  with  you." 

"  How  proud  I  was  to  hear  papa  call  me  brave.  I  shook 
the  water  from  my  hair  and  my  dress,  so  that  mamma 
should  not  see  me  too  wet,  and  went  down  below  feeling 
very  happy.  I  did  not  tell  mamma  about  the  big  wave, 
but  I  described  it  all  to  Mademoiselle  and  Marie. 

.  We  could  not  have  Mass  on  Sunday,  as  the  sea  was  so 
very  rough,  but  M.  Verrier  came  to  see  us  in  our  state-rooms. 


MAKGUEKITE   AT   SEA.  189 

At  last  God  had  pity  upon  us.  Between  eleven  and 
twelve  o'clock  papa  came  to  us,  and  proposed  that  we 
should  all  go  up  into  his  room  on  deck  for  a  change  of  air. 
We  knew  afterwards  that  he  had  taken  us  there,  because  our 
danger  had  become  so  great  that  he  wanted  us  where  he 
could  do  something  towards  saving  us,  if  possible.  At 
this  very  moment  the  wind  changed  suddenly,  as  if  by  a 
miracle,  and  we  were  soon  driving  away  from  the  land  as 
quickly  as  we  had  before  been  driven  towards  it.  Plow 
happy  every  one  was  at  once!  The  captain  (who  had  not 
left  the  deck  before  for  many  hours)  came  down  to  con 
gratulate  mamma  and  assure  us  of  safety.  We  could  hear 
every  one  talking  and  laughing,  when  before  it  had  been 
so  quiet,  except  the  roaring  wind  and  rushing  waves. 

When  the  captain  and  papa  left  us,  we  all  fell  on  our 
knees  and  thanked  God  with  all  our  hearts  for  His  mercy. 

To-morrow  we  hope  to  pass  that  unhappy  Cape,  and 
then  we  may  hope  for  calmer  weather. 

Thursday,  October  1th. 

I  hardly  know  how  to  write  an  account  of  my  .morn ing, 
for  I  have  had  a  dispute,  and  to-day  is  my  birthday,  and  I 
am  eleven  years  old.  And  besides,  God  has  so  lately  saved 
me  from  such  a  great  danger.  Dear  Mademoiselle,  pray 
read  this  Journal,  and  give  me  some  advice.  I  do  not  think 
I  was  so  very  much  in  the  wrong,  and  I  wish  you  would 
comfort  me  a  little. 

Of  course  my  dispute  was  with  Adele  who  always  pro 
vokes  me  so  much.  I  was  playing  with  the  children,  and 
Adele  would  meddle,  and  prevent  them  from  doing  what  I 
said.  When  I  told  her  she  was  very  disagreeable,  she 
screamed  out  so  loud  that  Mine.  Bontems  came  and  spoke 
very  crossly  to  me;  This  made  me  so  angry  that,  when  her 


190  MARGUERITE   AT    SEA. 

mother  was  gone,  I  told  Adele  that  no  one  liked  her,  but 
every  one  thought  her  very  badly  brought  up,  and  I  would 
never  play  with  her  again ;  that  I  had  tried  to 
like  her,  because,  Mademoiselle,  you  had  urged  me,  but  it 
was  of  no  use,  etc. 

But  I  need  not  tell  you  all  I  said.  I  know  I  was  very  dis 
agreeable,  but  then  Adele  said  a  great  many  hateful  things 
about  you,  mamma,  Marie,  and  all  of  us.  I  can  see  that 
Adele  has  not  really  a  good  heart,  for  she  forgets  so  soon 
any  kindness  that  mamma  or  you  show  her.  I  want  to  tell 
you  some  of  her  faults  now,  because  you  will  never  listen 
to  me  at  any  other  time  when  I  speak  of  them. 

She  is  very  affected,  and  always  trying  to  make  people 
notice  and  admire  her.  She  is  very  curious  too,  and  always 
repeats  every  word  that  she  hears  other  people  say,  and 
she  does  not  always  tell  the  truth  when  she  repeats  things 
to  her  mother,  which  seems  to  me  very  wicked. 

1  dare  say  she  has  good  qualities,  for  she  helps  her  mother 
take  care  of  the  children,  and  Mine.  Bontems  is  always 
praising  her  for  being  so  active  and  useful.  But,  dear 
Mademoiselle,  I  cannot  learn  to  like  her,  and  as  I  have 
told  her  I  would  not  play  with  her  any  more,  I  must 
keep  my  word ;  so  I  beg  you  to  say  that  I  need  not  have 
anything  to  do  with  her  now.  If  we  avoid  each  other, 
there  will  be  no  more  quarrels,  which  neither  you  nor 
mamma  like. 

Please  give  me  an  answer  in  my  Journal,  dear  Made 
moiselle,  for  it  would  make  me  ashamed  to  talk  to  you 
about  it. 

We  passed  the  Cape  last  evening,  which  makes  us  all 
feel  more  light-hearted.  Poor  baby  seems  quite  ailing, 
which  makes  mamma  anxious  ;  Stephanie,  too,  is  not  well. 
I  was  up  early  to-day,  and  ran  to  give  papa  and  mamma  a 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  191 

birthday  kiss.  I  do  indeed  feel  like  a  big  girl.  Last 
year  at  this  time  I  was  in  France  ;  next  year  I  shall  be  in. 
Pondichery.  How  many  changes !  Mamma  gave  me  five 
francs  for  my  birthday  and  papa  the  same,  but  Stephanie 
and.Berthe  could  not  make  me  any  present,  as  we  are 
at  sea. 

It  is  beautiful  weather ;  the  sky  and  sea  are  so  blue 
that  it  is  a  pleasure  to  look  at  them,  but  we  have  little 
wind,  and  go  very  slowly. 

The  same  day— 11  o'clock  P.M. 
REPLY  TO  MARGUERITE. 

You  must  know,  my  dear  child,  that  ever  since  you  began, 
to  write  your  Journal  conscientiously,  I  have  felt  much  in 
terested  in  it,  but  I  have  taken  no  part  in  it,  except  when 
you  asked  me  to  do  so.  1  shall  write  now  a  few  lines, 
because  I  feel  that  I  cannot  pass  over  what  you  have  asked 
in  silence. 

I  am  really  grieved,  my  child,  to  see  that,  after  all  my 
teachings,  you  understand  so  little  the  true  meaning  of 
charity — to  love  God,  and  to  love  others  for  His  sake. 
Or  rather,  you  arc  not  wanting  in  understanding  this  love, 
but  you  are  not  willing  to  practise  it.  Dare  you  say  to 
God  that  you  are  doing  all  that  He  commands  in  loving 
and  obeying  those  who  are  agreeable  to  you,  and  whose 
conduct  pleases  you  ?  Is  that  what  He  means  when  He 
tells  you  to  "love  your  neighbor  as  yourself?"  Why 
should  you  except  Adele  from  this  rule?  You  draw  a 
horrible  picture  of  her  faults — but  did  God  refuse  to  love 
even  great  sinners? 

What  right  have  you,  Marguerite,  to  cast  the  first  stone 
at  your  neighbor  ?  If  you  can  thus  recount  the  faults  of 


192  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

another,  how  can  you  expect  that  God  will  consent  to  over 
look  and  pardon  your  sins  ?  It  distresses  me  very  much 
to  see  how  you  could  sit  down  quietly,  when  you  were  no 
longer  angry,  and  throw  blame  upon  another,  as  it  were, 
"in  cold  blood." 

You  are  wrong,  too,  in  refusing  to  see  her  good  quali 
ties,  and  quite  mistaken  in  saying,  that  she  has  not  a  good 
heart.  She  is  often  self-denying  for  her  mother,  her  sisters 
and  brothers,  and  is  always  ready  to  forgive  an  offence, 
even  if  quick  to  take  one.  When  you  have  quarreled, 
were  you  to  ask  a  favor  of  her,  or  hold  out  your  hand  to 
make  amends,  you  would  then  see  how  soon  she  would 
forget  and  forgive. 

But  why  should  I  say  so  much,  when  one  word  is 
enough  ?  It  is  that  which  tells  you  to  love  your  neighbor 
for  the  love  of  God.  I  think  that  you  love  God,  Margue 
rite,  or  at  least  you  wish  to  do  so,  for  as  yet  your  love  is 
very  feeble  and  imperfect.  You  must  love,  then,  His  chil 
dren,  who  are  your  brothers  and  sisters,  and  any  sacrifice 
which  you  can  make  in  doing  so  will  be  acceptable  in  His 
sight.  You  will  see  that  I  have  asked  you  several 
questions ;  I  will  leave  it  to  your  own  conscience  to  answer 
them. 

As  to  the  permission  to  avoid  Adele,  for  which  I  am 
truly  ashamed  that  you  should  have  asked,  I  leave  you 
free  to  take  it,  if  you  can  really  feel  that  such  conduct 
would'  be  pleasing  to  God  and  agreeable  to  yourself. 

O  Marguerite,  my  dearest  child,  you  who  are  the  subject 
of  my  most  tender  anxiety  and  my  most  earnest  prayers, 
do  not  disappoint  and  grieve  me  too  much.  Let  me  see 
you,  my  child,  filled  and  guided  by  that  holy  spirit  of 
charity,  without  which,  we  are  told,  that  all  other  gifts 
"  are  as  nothing." 


MABGUEKITE   AT   SEA.  193 

Friday,  October  8th. 

Oh,  my  dear  good  Mademoiselle,  how  much  I  thank  you 
for  these  reproaches !  They  were  very  severe,  to  be  sure, 
,  and  cost  me  many  tears,  but  they  have  done  me  so  much 
goc»d. 

I  cannot  bear  to  think  that  I  ever  asked  Mademoiselle 
for  that  horrible  permission ;  it  makes  me  ashamed  to  re 
member  it.  Without  Mademoiselle,  how  wicked  and  un 
kind  I  should  have  been ;  but  now  that  she  has  opened 
my  eyes,  I  mean  really  to  try  to  be  more  just  and  amiable 
toward  Adele.  After  breakfast,  when  I  met  her  on  deck, 
I  told  her  that  I  was  sorry  that  I  had  been  so  rude  and 
cross  the  day  before ;  and  she  was  very  pleasant,  saying 
she  had  forgotten  all  about  it,  and  offering  to  play  with 
me  at  once. 

This  morning  I  was  marked  perfect  for  my  History, 
but  I  do  not  deserve  much  credit  for  it,  as  I  was  so  much 
interested  in  it  that  I  could  not  well  forget  it.  It  was 
about  the  deliverance  of  Jerusalem  by  those  dear  Cru 
saders  whom  both  Marie  and  I  like  so  much. 

The  history  of  the  Middle  Ages  interests  me,  too,  greatly, 
although  at  first  it  seemed  to  me  very  confused.  How 
pleasant  it  is  to  study,  and  oh !  how  many  things  I  have 
still  to  le,arn ! 

Wednesday,  October  IStk. 

Oh !  I  trust  that  God  will  again  have  pity  upon  us,  for 
we  are  all  very  unhappy.     Poor  baby  is  very,  very  sick, 
and  I  can  see  that  every  one  is  anxious.     Papa  looks  very 
grave,  and  although  the  doctor  tries  to  encourage  us,  I 
cannot  but  remember  how  it  was  when  M.  de  Laval  was 
so  ill,  and  the  doctor  said  every  day  that  he  was  better. 
The  day  after  I  wrote  last,  Marie  and  I  were  dreadfully 
9 


194  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

startled  by  hearing  mamma  give  a  loud  cry,  and  when  we 
ran  into  her  room,  we  found  that  baby  was  in  a  severe 
convulsion,  his  eyes  wide  open,  and  his  poor  little  limbs 
quite  stiff.  For  three  days  he  was  almost  constantly  in  a . 
convulsion,  and  the  doctor  could  do  nothing  to  relieve 
him,  although  he  tried  everything.  Poor  mamma  is  al 
most  in  despair;  she  cries  day  and  night,  and  without 
Mademoiselle,  I  believe  she  would  die. 

I  cannot  bear  to  see  our  poor  little  darling  suffer  so 
dreadfully,  he  whom  every  one  has  loved  and  petted.  I 
only  wish  that  I  could  take  his  placje. 

O  my  God !  I  beg  of  you  make  my  dear  little  brother 
well  again.  He  seems  a  little  better  to-day.  Pray,  pray, 
continue  to  protect  and  help  him. 

Thursday,  October  14ZA. 

Baby  was  quiet  all  day,  but  last  evening  he  had  a  terri 
ble  attack.  When  the  convulsion  was  over,  he  was  so  cold 
and  still  that  we  were  all  afraid  he  was  —  No,  I  cannot 
write  it.  The  doctor  was  very  much  troubled,  and  mamma 
nearly  fainted. 

Sister  Alexis  came  to  help  us,  and  we  all  waited  upon 
the  doctor  and  Mademoiselle,  who  were  trying  to  revive 
the  poor  little  darling.  Mademoiselle  was  so  good  to  me, 
and  whenever  she  saw  I  could  hardly  control  myself,  she 
would  ask  me  to  bring  her  something,  or  she  would  whis 
per  to  me,  "  Go  and  pray  for  your  little  brother,  my  child." 

A  prayer  always  comforted  me,  but  how  sad  it  was  to 
see  baby  so  changed.  His  face  looked  so  old,  and  he 
moaned  constantly.  When  he  opened  his  great  blue  eyes, 
he  did  not  seem  to  see  us,  and  mamma  would  say  so  pite- 
ously,  "  Look  at  me,  my  angel !  smile  at  your  mother,"  it 
brought  teara  into  our  eyes. 


MABGUEKITE   AT   SEA.  195 

Once,  when  the  door  was  open,  I  saw  old  Mario  looking 
in,  and  when  he  saw  "  the  little  admiral "  so  pale  and 
changed,  and  mamma  kneeling  beside  the  bed  gazing  at 
him,  he  did  not  speak,  but  two  great  tears  rolled  down 
his  rough  cheeks.  I  took  hold  of  his  hand  and  whispered, 
"  Pray  for  us,"  but  he  went  away  quickly  without  a  reply, 
although  I  could  hear  him  muttering  to  himself,  as  he 
went  on  deck. 

The  captain  and  officers  seem  really  distressed,  and 
even  the  sailors  try  to  be  as  quiet  as  possible. 

The  poor  little  darling  sleeps  constantly,  but  I  can  see 
that  this  sleep  makes  them  all  uneasy.  They  are  putting 
compresses  of  vinegar  and  water  on  his  head  all  the  time, 
but  unfortunately  we  have  no  ice. 

Stephanie  is  almost  ill  from  grief,  so  Sister  Honorine 
has  taken  her  to  their  room,  where  she  will  be  away  from 
poor  baby's  sufferings.  I  am  so  glad  that  mamma  and 
Mademoiselle  are  willing  to  let  me  stay  with  them,  for 
1  cannot  bear  to  be  away  from  baby  for  a  moment,  I  am 
so  afraid  something  might  happen  if  I  went  away. 


Sunday,  October  2ktli. 

Can  I  ever  have  the  courage  to  write  of  our  terrible 
sorrow  ?  No,  it  is  not  possible,  and  I  have  cried,  too,  so 
much  that  I  can  hardly  see,  and  my  hand  shakes  very 
much.  Oh,  baby,  baby !  dear  little  angel !  How  can  I 
say  that  you  are  no  longer  with  us ;  that  we  shall  never 
see  you  again,  except  in  heaven.  Oh,  it  is  too  dreadful ! 
I  cannot  submit  to  it !  I  beg  God  will  pardon  me  for 
saying  so,  but  I  loved  baby  too  much. 


196  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

Tuesday,  October  26th. 

I  could  not  go  on  writing  the  other  day,  for  I  began  to 
eob  and  cry  so  hard  that  Mademoiselle  came  and  took  me 
in  her  arms  and  told  me  I  must  put  away  my  Journal. 
To-day  I  feel  better,  and  want  so  much  to  write  that 
Mademoiselle  has  consented,  although  she  has  made  me 
promise  to  stop  as  soon  as  I  feel  badly. 

I  feel  that  it  will  be  a  comfort  to  me  to  write  about 
baby,  for  it  seems  so  blank  and  lonely  now  without  him. 
It  seems  as  if  every  one  were  dead.  It  seems  so  hard  to 
believe  it.  He  was  just  beginning  to  run  about,  and  say 
little  words.  He  could  call'  our  names,  and  he  laughed 
and  played  so  sweetly.  Mademoiselle  tells  me  that  we  are 
not  the  only  ones  who  suffer,  but  when  I  think  of  poor 
Gustave,  and  how  he  would  feel — 

I  had  to  stop  again,  for  I  could  not  help  crying.  Marie 
was  so  good  to  me,  and  came  to  beg  me  to  go  on  deck  for 
a  little  fresh  air,  but  I  could  not  bear  to  see  the  sunshine. 
It  makes  my  heart  ache,  too,  to  see  poor  mamma  lying 
there  so  still  and  pale,  not  eating  or  sleeping,  and  hardly 
speaking  to  any  one. 

Wednesday,  October  27th. 

I  have  prayed  for  strength  and  courage  to-day,  before 
beginning  my  Journal,  for  I  want  very  much  to  tell  about 
our  poor  baby's  death,  both  for  my  own  sake  and  for 
mamma's.  Yesterday,  when  I  began  to  cry  again,  and 
could  not  finish  writing,  I  thought  I  heard  mamma's  voice 
calling  me  very  feebly ;  I  ran  to  her  side,  and  when  she 
opened  her  arms  to  me,  I  felt  almost  too  happy,  for  it  was 
the  first  time  she  had  noticed  me  for  many  days.  After 
kissing  me  many  times,  she  asked  me  what  I  had  been 
doing. 


MAEGUEKITE   AT   SEA.  197 

"  I  was  trying  to  write  my  Journal,  mamma." 

"  Poor  child !  "  she  said,  and  two  tears  trickled  over 
her  pale  cheeks. 

"  But,  dearest  mamma,  if  yon  wish,  I  will  not  write 
about  it."  She  looked  at  me  very  earnestly,  and  said : 

"  On  the  contrary,  write  all — all"  and  then  she  fainted 
away,  as  she  has  done  many  times  since  that  sad  da'y. 

Mademoiselle  came  to  her  at  once,  to  revive  her  as  well  as 
she  conld.  AVhat  should  we  have  done  without  Mademoi 
selle,  she  has  been  such  a  blessing  to  us  all !  Mamma  has 
hardly  looked  at  any  of  us  now  for  several  days.  Poor 
Berthe  has  been  very  unhappy  about  it,  but  Stephanie  be 
haves  like  a  little  angel ;  she  comes  and  kneels  beside 
mamma's  bed  and,  kissing  her  hands,  says : 

"  I  will  not  speak  of  baby,  dear  little  mamma,  for  that 
hurts  you,  but  I  am  going  to  pray  for  you  here." 

It  is  very  sad  to  look  at  my  dear  papa,  he  is  so  un 
happy  ;  and  he  shuts  his  sorrow  all  in  his  own  heart,  and 
will  not  speak  of  it  to  any  one.  It  even  makes  him  seem 
stern,  so  that  I  dare  not  say  a  word  to  him.  It  is  as  if  we 
had  no  papa  or  mamma  just  now,  and  what  should  we  do 
without  Mademoiselle  ? 

Well,  I  see  that  where  I  last -spoke  of  poor  baby,  he  was 
sleeping  very  heavily,  but  it  was  not  an  easy  sleep  that 
helped  him.  He  breathed  very  hard,  and  seemed  to  suffer 
all  the  time.  Papa  was  very  uneasy,  and  stayed  with  us 
all  that  night.  Mademoiselle  allowed  Marie  and  me  to 
stay  with  her,  and  we  all  watched  together.  Mamma  never 
left  her  place  at  the  head  of  the  bed,  although  papa  urged 
her  to  go  away  several  times,  but  when  he  did  so,  she 
passed  her  afm  around  Mademoiselle,  and  looked  at  him 
so  sternly  that  papa  said  no  more. 

The  doctor  was  with  us,  constantly  trying  new  remedies, 


198  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

which  did  not,  however,  relieve  the  poor  little  love  at  all ; 
indeed,  they  only  seemed  to  trouble  him.  At  last  mamma 
turned  to  the  doctor,  and  looking  full  in  his  face,  with 
such  a  piercing  look  in  her  eyes,  said : 

"  Can  you  save  him  for  me  ? "  The  doctor  said  nothing, 
but  turned  away  his  head. 

"Then,"  cried  mamma  "you" can  at  least  leave  him  in 
peace,"  and  she  fell  on  her  knees,  putting  her  arms  about 
baby,  while  her  tears  poured  over  his  face. 

But  when  the  terrible  moment  came  nearer  and  nearer, 
mamma  was  very  calm,  like  a  statue  cut  out  of  stone, 
while  papa  walked  up  and  down,  and  could  not  bear  even 
to  look  at  baby.  All  Friday  morning  the  poor  darling 
remained  in  the  "same  state,  and  we  all  knew  that  he  was 
dying.  Oh  how  dreadful  it  was  !  The  kind  Sisters  came 
constantly  to  see  us,  and  sometimes  Berthe  and  Stephanie 
would  steal  to  the  door  on  tip-toe ;  but  they  could  not 
keep  back  their  sobs  and  tears,  and  had  to  go  away  at 
once.  The  good  priests  helped  us  more  than  any  one  else, 
for  without  them  I  do  not  know  how  poor  mamma  could 
have  borne  it  all.  It  was  their  words  only  which  she 
seemed  to  hear. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  as  we  were  all 
around  baby,  mamma  suddenly  gave  a  cry,  and  we  saw 
that  the  great  blue  eyes  were  open  and  looking  into 
mamma's  face,  while  the  poor  little  mouth  was  smiling 
sweetly.  Mamma  bent  over  him/crying :  "  Oh,  my  angel ! 
my  darling !  do  not  leave  me  !  smile  at  me  once  more ! " 
Baby  looked  at  her  for  several  minutes,  smiling  all  the 
time,  and  then,  in  a  moment,  we  could  not  hear  his  breath. 
It  was  over — and  he  was  in  heaven.  • 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  199 

Thursday,  October  28^. 

In  spite  of  all  my  efforts,  I  had  to  stop  writing  yester 
day,  for  the  sobs  almost  choked  me.  It  seemed  to  me  as 
if  I  could  still  hear  mamma's  piercing  cries  as  she  flung 
herself  beside  baby^  "  My  love,  my  darling,  my 
baby,  come  back  to  me,  or  take  me  with  you!  What 
shall  I  do  without  you  ? "  and  many  such  heart-breaking^ 
words.  Poor  papa  broke  down  at  last,  and  falling  on  his 
knees  beside  Mademoiselle,  he  laid  his  head  on  dear  little 
baby's  hands  and  cried  like  a  child. 

Mademoiselle  was  our  comfort ;  she  turned  at  once  to 
mamma,  who  had  clasped  baby  in  her  arms,  and  then 
fainted  away.  She  took  the  dear  little  angel  away  from 
his  poor  mother,  and  leaving  him  in  my  care,  she  carried 
mamma  with  the  help  of  Babet  into  the  other  room,  and 
laid  her  on  the  bed.  The  doctor  said  we  need  not  be 
troubled  for  mamma  at  present,  for  the  fainting  fit  was 
really  a  relief  to  her.  "When  Mademoiselle  had  done  all 
that  she  could  for  mamma,  she  came  back  to  baby,  and 
sent  Marie  and  me  to  watch  by  mamma.  All  that  we 
could  do  was  to  kneel  beside  the  bed,  and  pray  with  all 
our  hearts  that  God  would  comfort  her  and  save  her  from 
despair. 

Mademoiselle  washed  and  dressed  dear  baby  so 
sweetly,  putting  on  a  long  white  dress  and  little  white 
cap,  from  under  which  his  pretty  curls  looked  so  beauti 
fully.  He  looked  as  if  he  were  asleep ;  the  look  of  pain 
had  quite  gone  from  his  dear  little  face,  and  as  he  lay  on 
Mademoiselle's  lap,  I  could  hardly  believe  that  I  should 
never  see  his  blue  eyes  open  again,  or  the  sweet  little 
mouth  smile. 

But  it  was  too  dreadful  when  mamma  recovered  from 
her  fainting  fit,  for  suddenly  we  heard  her  cry :  "  My 


200          .  MAKGUEKITE   AT   8EA. 

baby,  Caroline,  I  want  my  baby."  Mademoiselle  and 
papa  both  went  to  her  and  tried  to  calm  her,  but  she  only 
asked  for  baby.  She  then  tried  to  get  up  and  go  to  him, 
but  she  was  too  weak  to  stand.  Mademoiselle  then  told 
Babet  to  go  and  ask  theMoctor  and  M.  Verrier  to  come  into 
the  next  room,  while  she  went  and  brought  baby  to  mamma. 

When  poor  mamma  saw  him  looking  so  calm  and  smil 
ing,  she  cried  : 

"  Oh,  Caroline,  he  is  asleep,  only  asleep.  Wake  up  my 
darling,  and  look  at  me."  But  baby's  eyes  did  not 
open.  Then  she  began  to  cover  his  face  and  hands  with 
kisses,  sobbing  as  if  her  heart  would  break.  Suddenly  she 
stopped,  and  looking  at  Mademoiselle  earnestly,  she  said  : 

"  No,  Caroline,  it  is  impossible.  God  cannot  ask  such  a 
sacrifice  of  me."  And  she  broke  out  into  sobs  and  cries. 
M.  Verrier  came  in  and  while  he  bent  over  and  kissed 
baby,  he  said  gently  to  mamma :  "  God  has  given  him  to 
you,  my  dear  daughter,  and  now  lie  has  taken  him  again. 
Cannot  you  say, '  Blessed  be  His  name  ? ' ' 

"  Oh,  M.  Terrier,  ask  God  to  take  me  too,  and  I  will 
bless  Him." 

"  And  your  other  children,  your  husband,  and  that  dear 
eon  that  you  have  left  in  France  ?  " 

"  Oh,  my  Gustave.  I  had  forgotten  him.  Edward,  can 
we  ever  live  without  our  baby  ? " 

Papa  took  mamma's  hand,  but  he  could  not  speak,  and 
his  eyes  were  full  of  tears. 

Mamma  continued  to  talk  about  baby,  his  sweetness 
and  pretty  ways ;  that  she  should  keep  him  always  as  he 
was  now  in  her  arms,  no  one  must  ask  her  to  give  him 
up.  At  last  she  grew  so  excited  that  the  doctor  spoke  to 
papa  and  Mademoiselle,  and  said  they  must  try  to  soothe 
mamma  and  take  baby  from  her. 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  201 

It  was  very  difficult,  for  poor  mamma  was  not  like 
herself,  but  almost  crazy.  Both  Mademoiselle  and  M. 
Verrier  talked  to  her  so  kindly  and  gently,  and  said  so 
many  beautiful  things  about  the  love  and  pity  which 
God  felt  for  her  in  her  great  sorrow,  that  at  last,  after  a 
long  time,  mamma  yielded,  and  let  them  take  baby,  but 
she  fainted  as  she  did  so. 

Friday,  October  29th. 

It  is  two  weeks  to-day  since  baby  died.  I  shall  never 
forget  the  15th  of  October,  the  most  unhappy  day  of  my 
life.  I  want  to  write  all  the  particulars  of  these  sad 
days,  because  mamma  may. wish  some  time  to  see  my 
account,  but  now  it  seems  as  if  it  would  be  very  very  .long 
before  mamma  could  bear  to  read  about  it. 

After  baby  was  taken  from  poor  mamma,  he  was 
placed  on  the  bed  in  our  room,  and  there  he  remained  all 
night.  How  lovely  and  calm  he  looked  !  Stephanie  and 
Berthe  begged  Mademoiselle  to  let  them  see -baby,  and 
she  consented,  for  she  felt  sure  that  they  would  not  be 
shocked  or  frightened.  It  was  touching  enough  to  see 
them  standing  beside  the  bed.  Berthe  thought  he  looked 
so  lovely,  she  could  not  bear  to  leave  him.  Poor  Ste 
phanie's  heart  was  too  full  for  her  to  say  a  word. 

Mademoiselle  wished  to  watch  beside  baby  that  night, 
although  the  good  Sisters  offered  to  spare  her  the  fatigue. 
Marie  was  to  sit  by  mamma,  who  had  fallen  into  a  heavy 
sleep  that  we  were  afraid  to  disturb,  and  I  begged 
Mademoiselle  to  let  me  sit  with  her.  She  would  not 
allow  me  to  sit  up  all  night,  but  I  stayed  with  her  until 
very  late.  What  a  beautiful  night  it  was ;  the  port-hole 
was  open  on  account  of  the  heat,  and  I  could  see  the  blue 
sky  covered  with  stars,  and  the  calm  sea  over  which  we 
9* 


202  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

passed  so  gently.  It  seemed  so  peaceful,  and  yet  how  sad 
and  heavy  our  hearts  were  ! 

When  Mademoiselle  saw  my  tears  falling,  she  took  me 
on  her  lap,  and  said  so  much  to  comfort  me,  that  after  a 
little  while  without  knowing  it  I  fell  asleep,  and 
Mademoiselle  undressed  me  and  put  me  to  bed,  without 
waking  me. 

"When  I  waked  the  next  morning,  I  felt  such  a  weight 
at  my  heart.  "  What  can  it  be  ? "  I  said  to  myself ;  but 
when  I  sat  up  and  saw  the  bed,  with  the  little  white  figure 
upon  it,  I  understood  it  all.  Mademoiselle  told  me  that 
poor  mamma  had  only  aroused  from  her  heavy  sleep,  to 
fall  into  a  sort  of  stupor,  from  which  no  one  could  rally 
her,  and  that  it  was  best  not  to  disturb  her  at  present, 
since  the}'  must  remove  our  dear  little  angel.  "  So  soon, 
take  him  so  soon,  Mademoiselle  1 "  I  cried.  But  Made 
moiselle  quieted  me,  and  said  it  must  be  so,  as  they  must 
do  what  they  could  to  preserve  the  dear  little  body,  until 
we  could  bury  it  at  Bourbon,  for  mamma  had  begged  so 
earnestly  that  they  would  not  put  him  into  the  sea. 

"  AVrhere  will  they  take  him,  Mademoiselle  ? "  I  asked. 

"  To  your  papa's  room,  my  child,  but  you  cannot  follow 
him  ;  even  I  shall  not  stay  with  him." 

What  a  shock  it  gave  me !  I  could  hardly  consent  to 
obey  Mademoiselle.  I  went  in  to  see  mamma,  after  beg 
ging  Mademoiselle  not  to  take  baby  away  until  I  had 
given  him  at  least  one  last  kiss.  Mamma  was  lying  quite 
still  with  her  eyes  open,  but  she  did  not  seem  to  see  me, 
and  when  I  kissed  her  and  spoke  to  her,  she  did  not  move. 
It  was  terrible  to  see  her. 

When  Mademoiselle  had  taken  baby  in  her  arms,  and  I 
felt  that  soon  he  would  be  gone  from  our  sight  forever,  I 
had  an  attack  almost  like  anger.  It  distresses  me  to  think 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  203 

of  it  now,  but  I  believe  I  was  crazy  with  sorrow.  Sister 
Alexis  tried  to  quiet  me,  but  I  felt  really  angry  with  her, 
and  she  was  so  good ! 

Mademoiselle  said  that  all  the  officers  and  sailors  stood 
with  their  heads  uncovered  as  she  came  on  deck  with  her 
precious  burden,  and  the  captain  came  to  meet  her,  with 
tears  running  over  his  cheeks.  He  loved  baby  very  dearly. 

Unhappily,  when  my  attack  of  anger  seized  me  I  must 
have  disturbed  mamma,  who  no  doubt  suspected  what 
was  happening.  Suddenly,  and  before  any  one  could 
prevent  her,  she  got  off  the  bed  and  opened  the  little  door 
between  the  state-rooms.  How  startled  I  was  to  see  her 
standing  there  like  a  statue.  She  cried  out  so  bitterly 
when  she  saw  the  empty  bed ! 

Fortunately  Mademoiselle  soon  came  back  and  was  able 
to  soothe  her.  But  now  she  has  become  so  languid  and 
sad,  she  never  speaks  to  any  one  but  Mademoiselle ;  she 
listens  to  the  good  priests,  but  she  never  answers  them. 

Sometimes  she  says  to  Mademoiselle,  "  Oh,  why  did  I 
come  ? "  but  she  never  speaks  so  before  papa,  for  she 
knows  how  it  would  grieve  him.  The  doctor  seems  to  feel 
very  anxious  about  mamma,  and  he  and  papa  have  long 
conversations  about  her. 

• 

Saturday,  October  '30th. 

They  tell  us  that  we  shall  probably  reach  Bourbon  now 
in  a  few  days.  I  do  hope  that  the  change  of  going  ashore, 
if  only  for  a  short  time,  will  do  mamma  some  good.  I  do 
not  feel  as  if  she  would  ever  be  any  better  if  she  stays  in 
her  state-room  day  after  day.  After  we  leave  Bourbon 
we  shall  still  have  five  weeks  at  sea  before  we  reach  India. 

How  sad  it  makes  me  to  think  how  soon  we  shall  leave 
Marie  and  Jeanne !  The  sorrow  of  dear  baby's  death  has 
made  me  forget  it  a  little,  but  now,  when  I  begin  to  talk 


204  MARGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

about  Bourbon,  1  feel  how  hard  it  will  be  for  all  of  us  to 
say  good-by  to  Marie.  She  feels  it  too,  I  am  sure,  for  I 
often  see  the  tears  in  her  eyes. 

I  have  been  so  much  happier  for  the  last  two  days, 
because  I  have  been  able  to  talk  to  my  dear  papa,  and 
perhaps  comfort  him  a  little.  It  was  Mademoiselle  who 
managed  it.  She  came  to  me  on  Thursday  evening,  and 
said : 

"Marguerite,  you  must  go  on  deck  for  a  little  fresh  air. 
What  would  your  poor  mother  do  if  you  were  to  be  ill  ?  " 
"  Oh,  Mademoiselle,  "  I  replied,  "  unhappily  it  would 
make  little  difference  to  mamma,"  and  the  tears  were  in 
my  eyes.  Mademoiselle  took  me  in  her  arms  and  said 
earnestly : 

"  Do  not  think  so,  my  child.  Your  poor  mother  is  so 
overwhelmed  by  her  grief,  that  now  she  can  feel  nothing 
else;  but  a  mother's  heart  is  always  the  same,  full  of  ten 
derness  for  her  children.  Your  mother  loves  you  dearly, 
Marguerite,  even  if  she  does  not  show  it  now,  and  for  her 
sake  you  must  take  care  of  yourself." 

"But,  Mademoiselle,  if  I  could  only  comfort  her  a 
little!" 

"  You  cannot  understand,  Marguerite,  what  it  is  to  lose 
a  child.  God  alone  can  comfort  her  in  this  great  sorrow ; 
even  the  most  tender  and  devoted  love  cannot  do  it,  and 
it  is  this  thought  which  almost  breaks  my  heart !  "  Made 
moiselle  hid  her  face  in  her  hands  and  could  riot  speak. 

I  threw  my  arms  around  her,  and  tried  to  console  her, 
for  I  could  understand  how  bitter  it  must  be  to  her  to 
feel  that  she  could  do  nothing  for  mamma,  whom  she  loved 
so  fondly. 

When  Mademoiselle  had  persuaded  me  to  go  on  deck, 
I  found  that  it  made  me  feel  very  badly  to  go  up  the 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  205 

ladder,  where  they  had  carried  dear  little  baby,  and  then 
the  fresh  air  made  me  feel  quite  faint,  as  I  had  so  little 
of  it  lately.  Mademoiselle  took  me  to  papa's  room,  who 
said  rather  sternly  that  I  could  stay  there. 

I  felt  almost  afraid  of  papa  at  first,  for  he  was  so  grave 
and  cold  sitting  at  his  table,  with  paper  and  ink  before 
him,  but  not  writing  a  word.  At  last  I  said  to  him  softly : 

"  Do  I  trouble  you,  papa  ? " 

He  replied  quite  severely : 

"  Why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

I  felt  so  frightened  that  I  began  to  tremble  and  did 
not  say  another  word.  Presently  papa  laid  down  his  pen, 
and  looking  at  me  said : 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  Only  to  have  you  talk  like  my  papa." 

"  Really  !    But  I  do  not  feel  like  talking." 

"It  is  just  for  that  reason,  papa,  because  you  are  un 
happy,  and  I  too,  that  we  ought  to  understand  each  other." 

Papa  did  not  say  anything,  so  I  went  on,  with  my  heart 
beating  very  fast : 

"  What  will  become  of  me,  if  you  and  mamma  both  keep 
me  away  from  you  ?  Mamma,  as  you  see,  is  too  ill,  and 
you  " — Papa  looked  as  if  he  wanted  to  forbid  me  to  go  on. 
"  Well,"  1  said,  "  I  will  not  speak  of  you ;  but  indeed,  indeed 
I  shall  be  ill  if  I  cannot  go  near  my  mother  or  father," 
and  then  my  heart  grew  too  full,  and  I  burst  into  tears. 

Papa  got  up,  and  taking  my  hand  drew  me  down  beside 
him  on  the  sofa,  and  I  leaned  my  head  on  his  shoulder  and 
cried  still  more.  But  papa  did  not  scold  me ;  on  the  con 
trary,  I  could  feel  him  stroke  my  hair,  and  it  made  me  so 
happy  !  After  a  little  while  I  began  to  talk  to  him  about 
mamma  and  about  our  dear  little  angel,  and  he  did  not 
seem  to  dislike  it.  When  I  put  my  arms  around  his  neck, 


206  MAKGUERITE   AT   SEA. 

and  told  him  I  wanted  to  kiss  him  for  dear  baby,  he  kissed 
me  very  fondly  in  return,  and  I  saw  tears  in  his  eyes. 

Before  I  went  down  I  said : 

"  Papa,  I  have  a  favor  to  ask  of  you." 

"What  is  it?" 

"  That  you  will  let  me  come  every  day  and  stay  a  little 
while  with  you,  I  like  it  so  much !  " 

"  No,  no,  you  had  better  be  with  your  mother." 

"  Bat,  papa,  I  could  come  here  too.  Besides,  what  can 
I  do  for  poor  mamma  now  ?  She  does  not  even  see  me, 
and  I  am  sure  she  would  like  me  to  be  with  you." 

"  Very  well,"  said  papa,  kissing  me,  "  come  whenever 
you  like." 

And  I  have  been  there  two  or  three  times,  and  papa 
smiles  whenever  I  come.  Mademoiselle  says  she  thinks 
he  likes  to  have  me.  How  glad  I  am ! 

Monday,  November  1st. 

It  seems  as  if  there  was  always  some  new  event  coming 
to  us  now!  This  about  which  I  am  going  to  write  now 
is  partly  pleasant  and  partly  sad.  Mamma  does  not 
know  about  it  yet,  for  she  is  so  weak  and  feeble  that  we 
do  not  talk  to  her  of  anything  exciting. 

Yesterday  after  Mass,  Mademoiselle  said  to  me  : 

"  I  will  leave  you  with  M.  Guy  on,  Marguerite,  for  he 
wants  to  speak  to  you."  Papa  had  been  at  Mass,  and  it 
has  seemed  to  do  him  good,  since  baby's  death.  I  looked 
at  him  in  surprise,  but  he  beckoned  me  into  his  room, 
and  sitting  down'  said  : 

"  I  have  asked  for  a  private  interview ;  will  you  conde 
scend  to  listen  to  me  ? " 

"  Yes  indeed,  papa,  but  you  pretend  to  be  joking,  and 
yet  you  look  sad." 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  207 

"  Yon  are  right,  Marguerite,  I  do  not  feel  very  much 
like  joking.  But  listen  to  me  and  promise  me  to  be  calm." 

"  I  will  try,  papa." 

"  "What  would  you  say  to  staying  at  Bourbon,  instead  of 
going  on  to  India  ? " 

"  Oh  papa,  I  should  be  delighted  if  any  one  stayed." 

"  Every  one  will  stay,  if  you  mean  your  mother,  Made 
moiselle  Yalmy,  your  sisters,  etc." 

"  And  what  about  you,  papa  ? " 

Papa  did  not  answer  me,  and  I  cried : 

"  But  you  could  not  go  without  us,  papa  ?  It  is  impos 
sible  that  you  would  think  of  leaving  us  1" 

Papa's  voice  trembled  as  he  said : 

"  I  am  greatly  troubled  about  your  mother,  Marguerite. 
I  am  afraid  to  keep  her  any  longer  on  the  Isere,  where 
she  has  so  many  sad  associations.  My  plan 'is  to  leave 
her  with  the  rest  of  you  at  Bourbon,  until  she  can  regain 
her  strength,  and  be  able  to  fight  better  against  her  great 
sorrow.  The  doctor  advises  it,  and  hopes  much  from  the 
benefit  of  the  climate  at  Bourbon.  You  can  all  join  me 
afterwards  in  India." 

"  Oh  papa,  and  you  will  have  to  go  all  alone  !  You  will 
be  so  far  away  from  us,  suppose  you  should  fall  ill,  and 
you  would  have  no  one  to  nurse  you !  Take  me  with  you 
at  least,  papa."  Papa  patted  my  head  kindly,  and  replied 
with  a  smile  : 

"  I  should  like  that  well  enough  to  be  sure,  but  I  could 
not  carry  you  away  from  your  mamma,  Mademoiselle 
Yalmy,  and  there  is  Marie  too.  How  does  it  happen  that 
you  are  not  delighted  at  the  idea  of  staying  with  her  ? " 

"  Oh  papa,  it  would  make  me  very  happy  if  I  only  had 
you,  but  without  you  it  will  be  miserable." 

"  Then  you  do  love  your  father  a  little  ? " 


208  MAKGUEEITE   AT   SEA. 

"Oh  papa,  how  naughty  of  you  to  ask  such  a  ques 
tion!" 

Papa  put  his  arm  around  me,  and  kissed  me  several 
times,  then  he  said  gravely  : 

"  We  cannot  avoid  the  separation  this  time,  my  child, 
for  the  doctor  tells  me  that  it  is  the  only  way  in  which  I 
can  hope  to  restore  your  poor  mother.  So  now  run  and 
talk  to  Marie  of  the  plan,  but  be  careful  not  to  let  your 
mother  hear  of  it  at  present." 

Marie  is  so  happy  to  keep  us  with  her  that  she  consoles 
me  in  spite  of  my  sorrow  at  losing  papa. 

Wednesday,  November  3d. 

Mamma  now  knows  all.  They  were  obliged  to  tell 
her,  as  the  captain  says  that  we  shall  be  at  Bourbon  to 
morrow  night.  Mademoiselle  undertook  to  tell  mamma  of 
papa's  plan,  but  it  made  a  very  trying  scene  for  them  all. 
When  papa  came  in,  mamma  threw  herself  into  his  arms 
and  begged  him  to  forgive  her  for  not  showing  more 
courage,  but  she  would  try  to  do  better,  and  then  she  im 
plored  him  to  give  up  the  idea  of  leaving  her. 

"  Edward,  have  pity  on  me,"  she  said ;  "  do  not  ask 
another  sacrifice  of  me,  in  giving  up  you.  It  is  more 
than  -I  can  bear." 

After  she  had  said  this  and  much  more,  she  grew  pale, 
and  would  have  fallen,  if  papa  had  not  caught  her. 

But  papa  would  not  allow  himself  to  be  persuaded, 
although  he  was  much  grieved  at  mamma's  distress.  He 
sat  down  beside  her,  and  spoke  so  kindly  and  gently,  tell- . 
ing  her  all  his  reasons  for  making  such  a  plan.  He  told 
her  how  much  better  he  thought  it  would  be  for  all  of  us 
to  be  prepared  for  the  climate  of  India  by  staying  for  a 
time  at  Bourbon. 


MARGUERITE   AT   SEA.  209 

"  Then  stay  with  us  at  Bourbon,"  mamma  begged. 
But  papa  told  her  that  that  was  impossible,  since  his  duty 
to  his  government  would  not  admit  of  such  delay.  Papa 
told  her,  too,  how  anxious  both  he  and  the  doctor  were 
for  her,  if  she  remained  any  longer  on  board  this  sad 
ship. 

Mamma  would  not  be  convinced ;  she  said  she  should 
carry  her  sorrow  with  her  wherever  she  was,  and  that 
since  she  had  decided  to  go  with  papa,  it  was  cruel  for 
him  to  leave  her  now.  But  after  a  time,  when  papa  had 
spoken  of  Marie  and  Jeanne,  and  how  happy  they  were 
to  keep  us  with  them  for  a  time,  mamma  seemed  to  be 
somewhat  comforted,  and  she  was  also  too  much  exhausted 
to  make  any  further  objections. 

Papa  is  to  stay  with  us  at  any  rate  for  a  month  at 
Bourbon,  which  will  be  very  pleasant. 

Thursday,  November  kth. 

To-day  is  Mademoiselle's  birthday,  and  I  have  asked 
God  to  bless  her,  and  I  have  been  to  give  her  my  good 
wishes  with  many  kisses.  I  have  been  able  too  to  kiss 
mamma,  although  she  was  very  sick  again  last  night,  and 
is  so  weak  that  she  can  hardly  speak  to-day.  When  I 
whispered  to  her  how  happy  it  made  me  to  be  near  her, 
and  feel  that  she  really  loved  me,  she  said  : 

"  Did  you  doubt  it,  my  child  ?  " 

"  I  thought  you  had  forgotten  me,  mamma;  you  never 
kissed  me,  or  even  spoke  to  me,  and  it  made  me  so  un 
happy."  Mamma  clasped  me  in  her  arms  and  said: 

"  I  need  your  kisses  more  than  ever,  my  darling." 

Marie  and  I  have  had  a  long  talk  about  mamma,  and 
we  both  mean  to  try  and  nurse  her  so  tenderly  and  care 
fully  that  she  will  not  miss  papa  too  much.  Marie  loves 


210  MAKGUEKITE   AT   SEA. 

mamma  very  dearly,  and  what  a  comfort  and  pleasure 
her  love  is  to  me  ! 

They  are  calling  me  to  come  on  deck,  and  see  the  land, 
which  we  are  approaching  rapidly.  Marie  and  Jeanne 
both  feel  quite  excited  at  getting  to  Bourbon  again. 

In  the  evening,  9  o'clock. 

I  want  to  add  a  few  lines  to  my  Journal,  for  perhaps 
to-morrow  I  cannot  write.  I  have  seen  Bourbon,  and  the 
island  seems  quite  small  to  me.  Marie  was  quite  dis 
tressed  at  the  thought  of  coming  back  without  her  mother. 
She  said  softly  to  me : 

"  When  1  left  here  I  had  my  dear  mother,  and  I  come 
back  an  orphan." 

"  Oh  no,  Marie,  do  not  say  so,"  I  replied,  "  for  you  have 
.  found  a  second  mother." 

The  wind  was  favorable  for  us,  but  as  we  are  not  near 
enough  to  Bourbon  to  enter  the  harbor  before  night,  the 
captain  has  decided  not  to  attempt  it  until  to-morrow. 
At  daybreak  we  shall  anchor  at  Saint  Denis,  which  is 
the  capital  of  Bourbon. 

It  is  quite  strange  to  see  the  flames  of  a  volcano,  from 
one  of  the  mountains  of  Bourbon,  of  which  Marie  has 
often  told  me.  It  looks  like  the  fire  from  a  great  chim 
ney,  and  is  beautiful,  as  it  is  growing  dark. 

Oh  how  glad  we  shall  be  to  leave  the  ship — if  we  only 
had  our  darling  baby ! 

Friday,  November  5th. 

The  voyage  is  finished ;  we  have  cast  anchor.  There 
lies  Bourbon  before  me,  as  I  write.  Papa  called  Marie, 
Jeanne,  and  myself  very  early  this  morning,  so  that  we 
could  go  on  deck  with  him  to  watch  our  arrival.  "We 


MAKGTJEKITE   AT   SEA.  211 

passed  along  the  shores  of  the  island  so  closely,  that  we 
could  see  people  walking  about — gentlemen  in  straw  hats 
and  white  pantaloons,  and  a  good  many  negroes.  M. 
Suze  pointed  out  the  different  parts  of  the  Island  to  us ; 
and  Marie  and  Jeanne  were  quite  touched  when  they  saw 
first  what  they  call  the  Champ-Borne,  for  it  is  there  that 
their  uncle,  M.  de  la  Gaze,  lives,  and  farther  on,  the 
Quartier  Frai^ais,  where  an  aunt  lives. 
1  We  arrived  at  last  at  Saint  Denis;  but  it  is  tiresome 
that  there  is  no  harbor,  it  is  like  bein^  anchored  in  the 

'  .  O 

open  sea. 

The  town  is  very  pretty,  lying  at  the  foot  of  a  dark 
mountain,  which  makes  a  fine  contrast  with  the  white 
houses,  each  surrounded  by  a  pretty  garden.  It  looks 
very  bright  and  gay. 

Papa  has  gone  on  shore  to  see  the  Governor,  and  make 
arrangements  for  our  leaving  the  ship.  He  was  to  see 
M.  de  la  Gaze  too,  and  let  him  know  about  Marie  and 
Jeanne.  Babet  is  crying  for  joy  at  the  idea  of  seeing  her 
family  again.  Before  I  close  my  Journal,  I  want  to 
thank  God  for  bringing  us  safely  through  this  long  and 
dangerous  voyage.  I  beg  He  will  pardon  me,  if  I  have 
been  ungrateful  in  my  sorrow  about  dear  baby,  and  I  hope 
to  be  more  patient  and  cheerful  at  Bourbon. 


MARGUERITE  AT  BOURBON. 


MAEGUEEITE  AT  BOUEBOR 


SAINT  DENIS,  ISLE  BOURBON,  Sunday,  Dec.  5th. 

|T  is  a  month  to-day  since  we  arrived  at  Bourbon, 
and  I  feel  that  it  is  quite  time  for  me  to  begin  my 
regular  work,  and  to  write  in  my  journal  again. 
Besides,  I  always  feel  my  journal  is  a  great  comfort  to  me 
when  I  am  unhappy,  and  now  I  begin  to  feel  so  badly  at 
the  idea  of  losing  papa  so  soon. 

He  is  to  leave  us  on  Thursday  of  this  week,  and  I  hardly 
know  what  we  shall  do  without  him.  He  will  not  feel  so 
anxious  now  in  leaving  mamma,  who  has  been  somewhat 
better  during  the  last  few  days.  She  is  still,  however,  very 
weak,  and  has  not  been  able  as  yet  to  go  to  dear  baby's 
grave,  although  she  has  wanted  to  do  so  very  much. 

But  I  want  to  write  all  about  her  last  hours  on  the  Isere, 
for  we  remained  on  board  some  time  after  I  had  finished  my 
journal.  Papa  went  on  shore  to  visit  the  Governor,  and 
just  as  he  was  about  to 'step  into  his  boat  to  return  to  us,  a 
gentleman  came  up  to  him,  and,  asking  if  he  was  not  Cap 
tain  Guyon,  introduced  himself  as  M.  de  la  Gaze.  Papa 
was  of  course  delighted  to  see  him,  and  begged  him  to  come 
with  him  at  once  on  board  the  Isere. 

Marie  and  I  were  at  the  port-hole,  very  impatient  at  the 
delay,  when  suddenly  Jeanne  exclaimed : 

"  I  see  uncle  Adrieii  with  M.  Guyon  ! "  how  delighted 


216  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

we  were !  Mademoiselle  asked  mamma  if  she  felt  able  to 
see  M.  de  la  Caze,  and  as  mamrna  said  yes  at  once,  a 
very  few  moments  brought  papa  and  M.  de  la  Caze  to  our 
state-room.  Jeanne  wished  to  meet  her  uncle  with  a  cry 
of  joy,  while  Marie  grew  very  pale,  and  stood  quite  still. 
M.  de  la  Caze  came  up  to  Marie  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and, 
taking  her  in  his  arms,  said  to  her  most  affectionately : 
"  My  dearest  Marie,  what  a  pleasure  to  have  you  once 
more !  But  what  cruel  trials  you  have  had,  my  child  ! 
My  poor,  poor  sister.  '  I  seem  to  see  her  again,  as  I  look  at 
you ;  but  we  shall  try  to  make  you  happy,  my  child ;  the 
whole  household  is  rejoicing  at  your  coming.  Every  one 
will  try  to  make  you.  forget  your  great  sorrow."  He  then 
turned  to  mamma,  to  whom  papa  presented  him.  Mamma 
held  out  her  hand,  and  said  earnestly : 

"  God  be  thanked  that  I  have  been  able  to  deliver  to 
you  in  safety  my  precious  cha  ge."  The  tears  came  again 
into  M.  de  la  Gaze's  eyes  as  he  replied  that  no  words 
could  express  the  gratitude  he  felt  for  the  love  and  kind 
ness  which  she  had  shown  towards  his  nieces.  Mamma 
said,  however,  very  simply:  " Every  mother  would  have 
done  the  same,  M.  de  la  Caze." 

Papa  then  took  M.  de  la  Caze  away  to  talk  to  him 
about  settling  us  at  Saint  Denis,  where  the  Governor  had 
told  him  we  should  be  most  comfortable.  M.  de  la  Caze 
begged  that  papa  would  make  use  of  his  country-house,  in 
case  he  desired  to  leave  the  town,  and  said  that  he  would 
be  most  happy  to  look  for  a  house  for  us  in  Saint  Denis, 
as  papa  was  a  stranger  there.  He  wanted  to  take  Marie 
and  Jeanne  with  him  at  once,  but  when  he  saw  how  dis 
tressed  both  mamma  and  I  were  at  giving  them  up  so  soon, 
he  consented  to  leave  them  with  us,  although  their  aunt 
was  so  anxious  to  have  them. 


MAEGTJERITE   AT  BOURBCHST.  217 

It  was  really  sad  on  the  ship  that  evening,  everything 
was  so  quiet,  the  deck  seemed  deserted,  for  all  the  passen 
gers  had  said  good-by  to  us,  and  we  were  alone.  It 
is  always  hard  to  separate  from  those  with  whom  one  has 
been  day  after  day  for  so  long  a  time.  In  saying  good-by 
to  Adele,  I  forgot  all  about  our  quarrels,  and  as  I  kissed 
her  I  said  how  glad  I  should  be  to  see  her  on  shore.  She 
promised  she  would  come  to  see  us. 

As  Marie  and  I  were  sitting  on  deck  during  the  evening, 
I  said  to  her : 

"  See  how  mournful  the  Isere  looks,  as  if  she  felt  deserted 
by  every  one ! "  Just  as  I  spoke  a  boat  came  near,  and  we 
saw  that  in  it  was  M.  de  la  Gaze,  who  had  come  to  see  us 
again.  He  went  to  mamma's  room,  where  he  stayed  a  long 
time  talking  to  mamma. 

When  we  went  down  mamma  called  Marie  and  me,  and 
told  us  that  M.  de  la  Gaze  had  found  a  house  for  us  already. 
Mine.  Dumont,  his  aunt,  had  most  kindly  insisted  upon  our 
taking  her  house,  as  she  was  about  to  leave  for  the  country, 
and  had  no  need  of  her  house  in  town. 

Papa  and  mamma  did  not  want  to  accept  this  generous 
offer  at  first,  but  wanted  Mine.  Dumont  to  let  them  hire 
the  house  from  her.  M.  de  la  Gaze,  however,  said  that  it 
would  only  wound  his  aunt  to  propose  such  an  arrange 
ment,  so  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  accept  her  kindness 
very  gratefully.  So  M.  de  la  Gaze  was  to  come  for  us  the 
next  morning,  with  all  the  necessary  means  of  carrying  us 
and  our  baggage  on  shore. 

Monday,  December  Qth. 

I  had  to  stop  writing  yesterday  on  account  of  the  heat, 
which  was  so  great  that  I  could  not  do  anything  comfort 
ably."     How  strange  it  is  to  think  that  they  are  now  suffer- 
10 


218  MARGUERITE  AT  BOUKBON. 

ing  from  the  cold  in  Paris,  where  people  are  going  about 
stamping  their  feet  and  blowing  their  fingers  ! 

Well,  M.  de  la  Caze  came  for  us  the  next  morning  with 
a  large  boat,  and  the  captain  gave  us  a  fine  one  belonging 
to  the  Isere ,  so  that  we  could  all  go  ashore  very  nicely. 
Poor  mamma  had  to  be  carried  on  deck,  and  helped  into 
the  boat.  She  had  not  left  her  room  before  since  that 
cruel  day,  and  was  so  agitated  that  she  fainted  as  she  tried 
to  say  good-by  to  the  captain.  There  wTere  a  good  many 
people  on  shore  watching  us  land,  which  was  embarrass 
ing,  so  that  we  were  very  glad  to  find  that  M.  de  la  Caze 
had  provided  a  chair  with  bearers  for  mamma,  and  a  pal 
anquin  for  the  children,  while  Mademoiselle,  Marie,  and 
myself  drove  in  M.  de  la  Gaze's  carriage.  What  a  caravan 
we  made  !  If  we  only  had  had  baby,  how  amused  and 
happy  we  should  have  been  ! 

We  who  were  in  the  carriage  reached  the  house  first, 
and  even  Marie  felt  a  little  shy  at  the  idea  of  meeting 
Madame  Dumont.  As  we  entered  the  enclosure,  as  they 
call  the  garden,  we  saw  Mine.  Dumont  sitting  in  the  cov 
ered  gallery,  and  Marie  then  went  to  her  and  presented 
Mademoiselle  and  me.  I  was  glad  that  .1  knew  before 
hand  how  kind  she  was,  for  her  manner  seemed  so  stiff 
and  cold.  But  she  made  us  very  welcome,  and  although 
her  manner  was  stiff  to  mamma  too,  I  saw  the  tears  in  her 
eyes. 

She  stayed  with  us'  several  days,  to  see  that  we  were 
quite  comfortable  in  our  new  home.  She  insisted  on  leav 
ing  some  servants  for  us,  in  spite  of  all  mamma  could  say, 
and  she  showed  Mademoiselle  how  she  could  carry  on  the 
housekeeping  with  the  least  trouble.  She  left  the  "  goden," 
or  storeroom,  well  provided  with  rice,  sugar,  coffee,  and 
other  things,  and  indeed  was  as  kind  and  thoughtful  as 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  219 

any  one  could  possibly  be.  She  has  now  gone  to  her 
country-house,  and  left  us  in  possession  of  our  new  home. 
But  I  want  to  tell  how  it  was  that  our  darling  baby  was 
brought  ashore.  It  happened  two  days  after  our  arrival, 
and  was  a  very  touching  sight.  The  captain,  officers,  and 
all  the  passengers  followed  the  little  coffin  to  the  church 
and  cemetery.  Poor  old  Mario  had  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  carry  it,  which  he  did,  assisted  by  another  sailor.  They 
told  us  it  was  really  pitiable  to  see  the  rough  old  sailor  stand 
sobbing  beside  the  o-rave  which  was  to  hold  his  "  little 

O  c5 

admiral/'  while  the  tears  ran  over  his  brown  cheeks. 

Now  it  is  all  over,  and  baby  sleeps  in  his  little  grave, 
over  which  they  have  placed  a  slab  of  white  marble,  on 
which  are  the  words  :  "  Given  back  to  God,  who  gave  him 
to  us."  There  is  a  cross  at  the  head  of  the  grave,  and  papa 
has  had  some  young  trees,  called  filaos,  planted  about  it,  so 
that  it  will  not  look  so  sad.  I  like  the  cemetery  very 
much,  although  it  is  not  at  all  like  Pere-la-Chaise,  but  is 
quite  close  to  the  sea. 

Tuesday,  December  1th. 

I  began  my  lessons  yesterday,  but  I  found  it  a  little 
hard  to  study,  and  I  am  afraid  that  I  have  lost  a  good 
deal. 

I  had  a  sweet  letter  from  Marie  this  morning,  with  the 
good  news  that  her  uncle  had  given  her  permission  to 
come  and  stay  a  few  days  with  us,  as  papa  was  going  away 
so  soon.  It  is  just  a  month  since  she  and  Jeanne  left  us, 
and  I  do  not  get  used  to  their  absence  at  all.  Although 
Marie  writes  to  me  very  often,  I  seem  to  miss  her  more 
and  more  every  day. 

I  have  forgotten  to  say  that  we  all  wrote  to  Gustave  the 
day  after  we  landed  here,  as  there  was  a  vessel  about  to 


220  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

sail  for  France.     Even  poor  mamma  wrote  a  few  lines  to 
her  only  son. 

Sunday,  December  12th. 

We  are  constantly  having  new  events,  and  the  last  one 
was  the  departure  of  my  dear  papa.  How  much  we  miss 
him,  and  how  empty  the  house  seems  without  him  ! 

How  happy  we  were  all  made  by  seeing  Marie  and 
Jeanne  once  more.  I  had  grown  .so  impatient  for  them  to 
come,  that,  when  they  really  arrived,  and  I  had  Marie  once 
more  in  my  arms,  I  could  hardly  let  her  go,  and  I  actually 
cried  for  joy. 

Marie  thought  mamma  was  looking  very  thin  and  pale  ; 
it  is  because  she  is  so  troubled  at  the  idea  of  papa  going 
away.  Sometimes  I  hear  her  saying,  as  if  to  herself :  •"  To 
have  left  one  child,  given  up  another,  and  now  this  new 
separation  comes  upon  me  !  It  is  too  cruel !  " 

Sometimes  she  thinks  she  is  quite  strong  enough  now 
to  go  with  papa ;  but  both  the  doctor  of  the  ship  and  the 
one  we  have  here  say  decidedly  no. 

I  stopped  a  moment  to  eat  my  lunch,  and  how  nice  the 
letchis  were  which  Mme.  Dumont  sent  us !  It  is  a  very 
pretty  fruit,  with  its  red  skin  and  white  flesh. 

Mario  and  Georget  both  came  to  bid  us  good-by,  and 
poor  little  Georget  really  cried.  He  wanted  me  to  write  a 
letter  to  his  mother  for  him,  but  I  thought  it  would  please 
her  much  more  for  him  to  write  himself ;  so  Marie  and  I 
both  helped  him,  and  he  did  very  well,  although  his  let 
ters  were  very  large  and  black.  He  was  delighted  when 
mamma  gave  him  a  little  more  money  than  he  had  earned 
by  waiting  upon  us,  and  jumped  for  joy  at  seeing  it. 

Mario  did  not  cry  when  he  said  good-by,  but  he  looked 
very  sad,  and  when  mamma  took  his  rough  hand  in  both 
her  soft  ones,  and  thanked  him  for  all  that  he  had  done 


MARGUERITE  AT  BOURBON.  221 

for  her  little  angel,  he  could  hardly  speak.  He  would  not 
take  any  money  at  all  from  mamma,  so  at  last  she  took  a 
locket  which  she  wore  from  her  neck,  and  asked  him  to 
wear  it  always  as  a  remembrance  of  her  and  baby. 

"Faith,  ma'am,"  said  Mario,  and  his  voice  was  quite 
husky,  "  if  ever  there  were  angels  on  the  earth,  it  was  the 
little  one  and  you.  It  makes  me  better  to  see  you,  and  if 
you  hear  some  day  that  old  Mario  has  died  like  a  Christian, 
and  not  like  a  dog,  it  will  be  owing  to  you  and  the  little 
one."  He  hid  the  locket  in  his  shirt,  and  said  it  should 
never  leave  him. 

Matnma  made  him  very  proud  too,  by  putting  papa  in 
his  charge  for  the  rest  of  the  voyage,  and  it  is  a  great  com 
fort  to  think  how  well  he  will  watch  over  him.  We  gave 
him  a  good  dinner  and  some  wine  before  he  went  back  to 
the  ship,  which  made  him  very  happy. 

Monday,  December  13th.  ' 

How  well  I  remember  all  the  details  of  our  last  even 
ing  with  papa !  We  were  all  together  in  mamma's  room, 
and  she  was  suffering  very  much ;  indeed  we  all  felt  so 
badly  that  we  could  say  very  little.  We  were  all  gath 
ered  very  close  around  papa,  knowing  how  long  it  would 
probably  be  before  we  could  have  him  again. 

As  we  were  all- sitting  looking  mournfully  at  each  other, 
our  man,  Janvier,  came  in  to  announce  the  priests,  who 
wished  to  take  leave  of  us.  I  think  it  was  a  comfort  to 
mamma  to  see  them,  although  she  was  too  weak  to  say 
much  to  them.  She  thinks  very  highly  of  M.  Verrier  in 
particular,  and  always  listens  to  him  very  attentively.  lie 
talked  a  great  deal  to  her  of  how  she  should  accept  this 
present  trial,  and  of  how  necessary  it  was  to  bear  our  crosa 
in  this  world,  if  we  hoped  to  enjoy  heaven  hereafter.  He 


222  MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON. 

himself  gives  us  the  highest  example  of  this  courage,  since 
he  has  devoted  his  whole  life  to  God's  service. 

Papa,  too,  seems  to  have  great  respect  for  these  kind 
priests,  and  says  they  are  intelligent,  tolerant,  and  zealous 
men,  in  fact  true  apostles.  Mamma  confided  papa  to  their 
special  care,  and  we  all  begged  them  to  remember  us  in 
their  prayers. 

The  captain  came  to  bid  us  good-by  earlier  in  the  day, 
and  spoke  so  kindly  of  papa,  telling  mamma  that  he  looked 
upon  him  as  a,  brother,  and  that  he  would  do  anything  he 
could  for  him  during  the  rest  of  the  voyage. 

It  was  very  sad  when  papa  left  us  to  go  to  bed,  for  we 
were  very  much  afraid  that  we  should  not  see  him  in  the 
morning.  He  would  not  promise  to  call  us,  and  even 
spoke  quite  sternly  when  we  begged  him  to  do  so.  Mad 
emoiselle  stayed  with  mamma  ;  and  as  soon  as  Marie  and 
I  were  in  our  room  I  confided  to  her  my  plan.  It  was  to 
sit  up  all  night,  so  that  I  might  watch  for  papa  in  the 
morning,  and  give  him  a  last  kiss,  in  spite  of  himself. 
Marie  thought  that  Mademoiselle  would  not  like  me  to  sit 
up,  and  even  suggested  that  papa  might  scold  me ;  but  I  was 
quite  resolute,  so  she  said  she  would  share  my  watch.  This 
rather  troubled  me,  but  we  were  soon  established  in  two 
arm-chairs,  and  I  made  a  resolve  not  to  close  my  eyes. 
But  I  was  getting  very  drowsy  w^hen  some  one  came  into 
the  room,  waking  me  with  a  start.  It  was  Mademoiselle, 
who  said  gently,  as  if  she  suspected  what  we  were  doing  : 
"  What  does  all  this  mean  ? " 

I  threw  my  arms  around  her,  and  begged  her  so  ear 
nestly  to  let  me  carry  out  my  plan,  that  she  soon  con 
sented,  and  went  back  to  mamma. 

The  night  seemed  terribly  long,  and  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  cancrelas,  a  disgusting  kind  of  beetle,  I  should 


MARGTJEKITE   AT   BOURBON.  223 

certainly  have  fallen  asleep  a  great  many  times.  Those 
horrid  creatures  seemed  to  have  been  sent  especially  to 
keep  me  awake. 

As  soon  as  the  daylight  began  to  come,  I  grew  very  im 
patient,  and  could  hardly  stay  in  my  chair.  Every  one 
was  asleep,  at  least  no  one  was  moving,  when  suddenly 
Marie  said,  "  Listen  !  "  and  I  could  hear  very,  very  soft  foot-> 
steps  passing  the  door.  I  peeped  out  and  saw  Janvier, 
who  went  to  papa's  room.  I  felt  that  the  time  had  come, 
and  how  fast  my  heart  beat ! 

After  a  few  moments  Janvier  went  down  and  came 
back  with  another  negro,  who  helped  him  carry  down 
papa's  last  trunk.  Then  very  soon  I  heard  papa's  door 
open,  and  I  knew  he  was  coming  himself,  but  I  could  not 
stir.  He  went  into  Stephanie's  and  Berthe's  room,  looked 
at  them  without  speaking,  then  stopped  for  a  moment  at 
our  door,  but  did  not  come  in,  on  account  of  Marie  and 
Jeanne.  As  he  passed  on  I  whispered  quickly  to  Marie, 
"  Tell  Mademoiselle,"  and  ran  softly  after  papa. 

I  took  his  hand  and  said  in  a  whisper :  "  Do  not  scold  me, 
I  wanted  so  much  to  kiss  you  once  more."  He  only  re 
plied  by  pointing  to  mamma's  door  and  saying,  "  Hush," 
but  he  did  not  look  angry.  Papa  took  me  into  the  parlor, 
and,  sitting  down,  placed  me  on  his  lap. 

"  When  did  you  get  up,  little  one  ? "  he  asked.  "  It  is 
hardly  daylight  yet." 

"  I  did  not  go  to  bed  at  all,  papa,  so  as  to  be  sure  to  see 
you."  The  tears  came  into  papa's  eyes,  and  he  kissed  me 
without  speaking.  But  afterwards  he  spoke  so  kindly  to 
me  about  what  I  must  do  for  mamma,  as  he  left  her  in  my 
care ;  that  I  must  try  to  set  a  good  example  to  my 
sisters,  and  profit  by  all  that  my  dear  Mademoiselle  would 
do  for  me. 


224  MAEGTTERITE   AT  BOURBON. 

When  at  last  papa  got  up  to  go,  I  clung  to  him  and 
begged  him  to  wait  only  a  very  little  longer,  but  he 
would  not  yield,  and  we  stepped  out  into  the  gallery  to  meet 
there  Mademoiselle  and  Marie.  Mademoiselle  came  up  to 
papa,  and,  holding  ont  her  hand,  said : 

"  Did  yon  really  think  you  could  leave  us  so  ?  Elise  is 
waiting  for  you,  you  will  not  refuse  to  see  her ! " 

"  Pray  spare  me  this  sad  scene,  dear  Mile.  Valmy,"  said 
papa,  pressing  her  hand. 

"  You  need  not  be  afraid,"  said  Mademoiselle ;  "  Elise 
will  be  calm,  for  she  has  spent  the  night  in  preparing  for 
this  last  interview."  So  papa  went  away  to  mamma,  while 
we  remained  waiting  in  the  gallery. 

When  he  came  back  to  us,  although  he  was  very  pale, 
he  was  composed.  He  thanked  Mademoiselle  again  and 
again  for  having  so  encouraged  and  supported  poor  mam 
ma  as  to  make  her  quite  brave  at  the  last.  But  Mad 
emoiselle  would  not  allow  him  to  praise  her. 

"  It  is  not  my  work,  M.  G-uyon,"  she  said  ;  "  there  is  only 
One  who  could  comfort  her,  and  to  His  care  we  commit 
you ;  "  but  her  voice  trembled  too  much  to  conclude. 

"  Papa,"  I  exclaimed,  "  let  me  go  on  board  with  you ! " 

"  No,  no,  my  child,  it  is  too  early ;  and  who  would  bring 
you  back  ? " 

"  I  am  sure  Mademoiselle  would  come." 

"But  how  could  I  leave  your  poor  mother?"  asked 
Mademoiselle. 

"  Wait  one  moment,  and  I  will  ask  her,"  I  said. 

I  found  poor  mamma  weeping,  but  the  moment  she  un 
derstood  what  I  wanted,  she  not  only  consented,  but  urged 
us  to  go. 

"  But  you,  mamma  ? " 

"  I  need  to  be  alone,  my  child,  with  God,"  she  answered. 


MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON.  225 

So  in  a  few  moments  Mademoiselle,  Marie,  and  I  had 
put  on  our  bonnets,  and  started  for  the  ship  with  papa.  The 
captain  and  officers  were  very  kind,  and  made  us  welcome. 
We  went  with  papa  to  his  cabin.  How  sad  it  was  to 
think  how  lonely  he  would  be  !  We  could  only  stay  a  short 
time,  for  they  were  already  lifting  the  anchor,  so  the  last 
words  had  to  be  said,  the  last  kiss  given.  May  God  pre 
serve  and  guard  my  dear  papa  while  he  is  away  from  us, 
and  grant  that  we  may  soon  all  be  together. 

Wednesday,  December  15th. 

While  we  were  at  breakfast  yesterday  Janvier  brought 
ns  a  letter  from  France  ;  it  was  from  Gustave !  What  a 
pleasure  it  was !  I  seized  it  to  run  at  once  to  mamma  with 
it ;  but  Mademoiselle  stopped  me,  as  she  said  any  sudden 
shock,  although  pleasant,  might  do  mamma  harm.  It  was 
such  a  good  idea  for  papa  to  beg  the  governor  to  examine 
the  mail  for  India,  and  retain  any  letter  which  came  for 
mamma ;  we  should  have  had  so  much  longer  to  wait  had 
Gustave's  letter  gone  on  to  Pondicherry.  How  happy  we 
were  to  hear  from  him,  and  yet  his  letter  cost  mamma  many 
tears.  He  spoke  so  often  of  baby,  sending  him  love  and 
kisses.  Poor  Gustave,  what  will  he  say ! 

He  told  us  that  he  had  seen  Alberic  several  times,  and 
liked  him  very  much,  which  did  not  surprise  me.  We 
were  delighted,  too,  to  find  that  both  he  and  Alberic  had 
received  the  letters  which  we  had  sent  by  the  Leonie. 

Thursday,  December  16th. 

To-day  it  is  the  turn  for  Marie  and  Jeanne  to  be  made 
happy  by  a  letter  from  Alberic.     Marie  has  read  it  to  us, 
and  you  can  see  how  warm-hearted  Alberic  is,  in  the  ten 
der  way  in  which  he  writes  to  his  sisters.      He  spoke  very 
10 


226  MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON. 

highly  too  of  Gustavo,  who  is  working  very  well,  and 
stands  high  in  his  class.  I  do  hope  that  Gustave  and  Al- 
beric  will  grow  to  be  friends,  such  as  Marie  and  I  are,  for 
they  will  be  so  much  happier  now  that  we  are  so  far  from 
them. 

To-day  I  went  to  the  catechism  class  for  the  first  time 
since  I  have  been  in  Bourbon.  How  strange  it  all  seemed  ! 
There  were  so  many  negroes  among  the  scholars  that  I 
was  very  much  surprised.  They  are  not  slaves  (as  they  are 
taught  separately)  but  mulattoes. 

Marie  and  Jeanne,  who  were  with  me,  told  me  that  the 
mulattoes  were  not  received  in  society  ;  and  when  I  asked 
if  it  was  because  they  were  badly  educated  or  not  well  be 
haved,  they  said  :  "  No,  but  it  was  not  the  custom  to  visit 
them."  Mademoiselle  then  explained  to  me  that  it  was  a 
custom  arising  from  a  prejudice  which  she  thought  un 
worthy  of  a  Christian  and  kind-hearted  people,  and  she 
hoped  the  time  would  soon  come  when  such  prejudices 
would  disappear.  It  does  seem  very  hard  that  they  should 
be  shut  out  of  society,  when  some  of  them  are  clever,  ta 
lented,  and  beautiful,  only  because  they  have  a  darker  skin 
than  we  have ! 

Friday,  December  17  tk. 

"We  have  really  had  an  event  which  has  made  me  so 
happy  !  I  am  sure  that  God  feels  pity  for  us,  and  sends 
us  this  pleasure  to  console  us.  Butxl  have  a  long  story  to 
tell  about  it. 

M.  de  la  Gaze  arrived  last  evening,  and  we  were  all  feel 
ing  very  badly  about  giving  up  Marie  and  Jeanne  again. 
M.  de  la  Gaze  went  out  to  pay  some  visits,  and  we  were 
all  in  mamma's  room,  talking  sorrowfully  of  the  separation. 
All  at  once  I  cried  : 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  *     227 

"  Oh,  Marie,  if  I  dared,  I  would  beg  your  uncle  to  leave 
you  with  us  always !  " 

"  And  why  not  ? "  said  mamma.  I  was  so  surprised  that 
for  a  moment  I  could  not  speak. 

"  Oh,  mamma,  I  am  sure  you  have  a  plan,"  I  exclaimed 
at  last. 

"  Yes,  I  have  a  plan,  which  Caroline  and  I  have  dis 
cussed  very  often  of  late.  I  hope  to  make  M.  de  Gaze  feel 
as  I  do,  provided  that  it  will  not  make  Marie  and  Jeanne 
unhappy  to  leave  their  uncle  and  aunt." 

"Not  to  be  with  you,  dear  Mme.  Guy  on  ?"  said  Marie, 
who  was  trembling  as  mu^h  as  I  was. 

Mamma  then  told  us  how  much  better  she  thought  it 
would  be  for  Marie  and  Jeanne  to  be  able  to  go  on  with 
their  studies  under  Mademoiselle's  care,  for  they  had  al 
ready  made  such  good  progress,  and  she  hoped  that  M.  de 
la  Gaze  would  feel  willing  to  let  us  have  his  nieces  while 
we  were  in  Bourbon. 

How  many  plans  we  made,  and  how  impatient  I  was  for 
M.  de  la  Gaze  to  come  in !  He  did  not  return,  however,  un 
til  so  late  in  the  evening  that  mamma  could  not  see  him, 
and  I  felt  it  very  hard  to  go  to  bed  in  suspense.  I  could 
hardly  sleep,  I  was  so  anxious  and  excited. 

This  morning  my  lessons  were  all  disarranged,  as  Marie 
and  Jeanne  were  to  go  away.  M.  de  la  Gaze  was  with 
mamma  for  so  long  a  time  that  the  carriage  was  at  the 
door,  and  the  servant  had  carried  down  the  trunk  before 
we  heard  anything. 

At  last  they  called  us,  and  we  rushed  pell-mell  up  the 
staircase  and  into  mamma's  room,  eager  to  hear  what  M. 
de  la  Gaze  had  decided.  Mamma  held  out  her  arms  to  the 
two  sisters,  saying : 


228  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

"  Thanks  to  God  and  your  good  uncle,  I  may  keep  you, 
my  dear  little  girls." 

"  So  you  want  to  rob  me  of  my  nieces,  Mile.  Marguerite  ?  " 
said  M.  de  la  Gaze  to  me. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  I  cried,  "  for  we  love  them  so  much  !  " 

Little  by  little  we  heard  all  about  it.  Mamma  had  asked 
M.  de  la  Caze  what  plans  he  had  made  to  carry  on  his 
nieces'  education,  and  found  that  he  and  his  wife  felt  that 
the  little  girls  would  have  to  go  to  a  boarding-school,  much 
as  they  regretted  parting  with  them.  Then  mamma  had 
unfolded  her  plan  to  him,  and  he  seemed  much  touched 
by  her  generosity  and  thoughtf  illness.  He  agreed  with 
mamma  that  his  nieces  could  not  hope  to  find  elsewhere 
such  a  teacher  as  Mademoiselle,  and  he  only  hesitated  about 
accepting  mamma's  kind  offer  from  fear  that  he  wTas  asking 
too  much  of  both  mamma  and  Mile.  Yalmy. 

How,ever,  when  mamma  explained  how  it  could  give 
us  nothing  but  happiness  to  have  Marie  and  Jeanne  while 
we  were  in  Bourbon,  he  accepted  the  plan  very,  gratefully. 
Only  he  wished  to  keep  his  nieces  with  him  until  the  month 
of  January,  so  that  their  aunt  may  see  them  a  little  longer. 

He  also  urged  mamma  to  pay  them  a  visit  at  once,  as  a 
change  of  air  might  be  good  for  us  all,  now  that  the  heat 
is  so  great.  But  mamma  said  she  was  not  strong  enough 
to  move  at  present,  but  hoped  to  come  to  them  before  we 
left  Bourbon. 

Then  M.  de  la  Caze  begged  her  to  entrust  Stephanie, 
Berthe,  and  myself  to  his  wife's  care ;  and  after  a  little 
time  mamma  consented  to  let  Stephanie  and  me  go  to 
make  them  a  little  visit  next  Thursday.  Berthe  was  too 
little  to  go  away  from  hqme.  We  are  to  stay  several  days, 
and  come  back  to  mamma  for  New- Year's  Day,  while 
Marie  and  Jeanne  will  follow  us  a  little  later.  It  will  be 


MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON.  229 

the  first  time  I  have  ever  left  mamma  and  Mademoiselle. 
I  am  afraid  1  may  be  a  little  homesick,  but  then  I  shall 
have  Marie. 

Sunday,  December  \Qth. 

Oh !  this  heat,  it  is  almost  enough  to  kill  one !  Poor 
Stephanie  feels  it  very  much,  and  is  so  languid  and  dull 
that,  if  we  would  let  her,  she  would  sleep  all  the  time. 
Even  Berthe,  lively  as  she  is,  is  overwhelmed  by  it,  and  1 
can  do  hardly  anything.  I  fall  asleep  constantly  over  my 
books,  so  that  my  lessons  do  not  go  on  very  well. 

Poor  Berthe  was  quite  inconsolable  when  she  heard  that 
Stephanie  and  I  were  to  go  to  Champ -Borne,  while  she 
remained  at  home.  Mamma  tried  to  console  her  by 
promising  to  keep  her  in  her  room,  and  telling  her  that 
she  would  have  Mademoiselle  all  to  herself ;  but  Berthe 
still  feels  unhappy  about  it. 

She  distressed  mamma  very  much  yesterday  by  com 
plaining  of  her  "  ugly  black  dress,  that  made  her  so  warm," 
so  that  mamma  cried  and  asked  her  if  she  did  not  want 
to  wear  any  mourning  for  poor  baby.  This  made  Berthe 
feel  very  penitent,  and  she  promised  mamma  she  would 
never  complain,  of  her  dress  again.  But  mamma  and 
Mademoiselle  have  concluded  to  have  thinner  dresses 
made  for  us,  and  as  a  pedler  arrived  this  morning  we  were 
able  to  get  something  at  once. 

These  pedlers  are  very  amusing,  with  their  great  boxes 
brought  by  negroes,  and  full  of  all  sorts  of  pretty  things. 
They  are  usually  women,  and  are  very  pleasant  and  well 
behaved,  and  know  very  well  how  to  sell  their  goods. 

Last  evening  we  had  a  great  fright.  We  were  all  sitting 
in  the  gallery,  where  it  was  a  little  cooler,  and  Berthe  was 
running  back  and  forth ;  suddenly  she  cried  out : 

"  Maguitte,  Maguitte,  come  and  see  this  queer-looking 


230  MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON. 

creature  crawling  on  the  ground."  Stephanie  and  I  went 
to  see ;  but  as  soon  as  I  looked  at  it  I  felt  sure  it  was  a  centi 
pede,  of  which  Marie  and  Jeanne  had  often  told  me  that 
they  stung  very  hadly.  So  we  called  out  at  once  for  Jan 
vier,  who  came  and  killed  the  creature  for  us.  It  was  very 
horrid-looking,  flat,  and  brown,  with  rows  of  legs  on  each 
side,  and  a  pair  of  sharp  claws.  Janvier  told  us  it  bit 
very  badly,  and  now  I  feel  all  the  time  as  if  one  was 
crawling  upon  me.  The  beetles,  too,  last  night  really  drove 
me  out  of  my  room,  and  I  begged  Mademoiselle  to  let  me 
stay  with  her.  She  laughed  at  my  cowardice,  and  told  me 
I  must  try  to  get  used  to  them. 

Tuesday,  December  2lst. 

Mamma  was  able  to  go  for  the  first  time  yesterday  to 
the  cemetery  where  dear  baby  was  laid.  She  took  me  with 
her,  and  of  course  Mademoiselle  went  too.  We  started 
very  early,  to  avoid  the  great  heat  of  the  day. 

Mamma  was  very  brave  after  we  arrived  at  the  cemetery 
until  we  reached  baby's  grave,  but  then  she  gave  such  a 
terrible  cry,  and  fell  on  her  knees  almost  fainting.  I 
begged  Mademoiselle  to  take  her  away,  for  I  was  sure  she 
would  be  ill  again.  But  Mademoiselle  raised  her  very 
gently,  and  spoke  so  sweetly  to  her,  that,  after  a  time, 
mamma  became  more  composed. 

It  was  terrible  to  see  .her  at  first,  sometimes  with  tears 
falling  like  rain,  and  then  with  her  eyes  quite  dry,  but 
with  such  a  look  of  despair  in  them  that  I  was  almost 
frightened. 

But  Mademoiselle  seemed  to  know  what  to  say  to  her, 
and  she  knelt  beside  her  for  a  long,  long  time,  talking  of 
baby,  of  heaven,  and  of  the  time  when  mamma  should  go 
to  him  never  to  be  parted  again.  Mamma  was  more  calm 
when  we  came  away  ;  but  the  visit  was  too  much  for  her, 


MAKGUERITE   AT   BOTJEBON.  231 

and  she   had  to  go  to  bed  when  we  reached  home.     She 
picked  a  few  flowers  from  baby's  grave  to  send  to  papa. 

N 

Wednesday,  December  22d. 

We  had  a  little  rain  yesterday,  which  was  very  refresh 
ing  to  us  all.  We  all  sat  out  in  the  gallery  during  the  even 
ing,  and  were  very  happy,  as  mamma  was  able  to  be  with  us. 
I  cannot  understand  how  Clara  and  her  mother  could  find 
it  so  dull  in  the  country.  It  seems  so  charming  to  me, 
although  we  are  very  quiet.  The  Creoles  think  we  must 
find  it  very  dull  after  Paris,  and  are  very  kind  in  coming 
to  see  us  very  often  ;  but  when  we  are  by  ourselves  there 
is  so  much  to  hear  and  say  that  the  time  passes  very 
quickly.. 

Stephanie  and  I  love  to  hear  mamma  and  Mademoiselle 
talk  about  their  school-days,  and  of  all  that  they  used  to  do 
when  they  where  young.  It  is  all  as  interesting  to  me  as 
any  very  pleasant  book. 

Yesterday  Mine.  Yilliers  sent  us  an  enormous  basket  of 
fruit,  so  that  we  might  taste  the  nicest  of  everything  which 
they  have  in  this  country. 

How  many  different  kinds  there  were !  Mangoes  of 
several  kinds,  and  very  nice,  like  a  very  fine  pear ;  then 
bunches  of  letchis  ;  large  pine-apples,  which  were  delicious ; 
attes,  a  fruit  that  seems  filled  with  perfumed  cream ;  sapotes 
and  pomegranates,  which  last  are  beautiful  with  their 
bright-red  seeds,  and  very  cool  and  refreshing  in  this  hot 
climate.  We  hardly  know  Mine.  Villiers,  and  she  is  cer 
tainly  very  kind  to  us. 

Mine.  Vintimil,  too,  has  been  very  polite,  and  sent  us  last 
week  a  large  quantity  of  fresh  pork,  sausages,  black-pud 
ding,  and  all  sorts  of  pork  preparations.  M.  Vintimil,  too, 
was  so  kind  as  to  bring  us  this  morning  some  mangoustans, 


232  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

a  sort  of  fruit  which  is  quite  rare  even  here,  and  very 
delicious.  He  took  the  trouble  to  send  to  one  of  his 
cousins,  who  has  this  fruit,  to  get  some  of  it  expressly  for 
us.  Certainly  the  Creoles  are  wonderfully  kind  and  oblig 
ing  ;  people  would  not  take  so  much  pains  to  please  us  in 
France.  What  a  strange  country  it  is,  too,  where  the  trees 
never  lose  their  leaves,  and  where  you  never  see  frost  or 
snow ! 

I  think  I  have  never  spoken  of  the  sugar-cane  in  my 
journal,  although  I  love  them  so  much.  We  made  acquaint 
ance  with  them  first  at  Rio. 

Thursday,  December  23d. 

I  was  quite  surprised  this  morning  at  catechism  to  see 
Adele  amongst  the  Sisters'  scholars,  and  wearing  their 
uniform— a  white  dress,  blue  sash,  and  straw  bonnet  with 
blue  ribbons.  I  was  very  glad  to  see  her  with  the  good 
Sisters,  for  she  needs  so  much  to  be  taught.  When  she 
was  asked  her  catechism  she  recited  very  well,  but  in  such 
a  very,  very  loud  voice  that  I  felt  almost  ashamed  for  her. 
I  tried  to  nod  to  her,  but  she  seemed  not  to  see  me,  although 
she  must  have  heard  my  name  when  I  was  called  to 
recite. 

The  church  in  Saint  Denis  is  not  at  all  handsome  or 
like  those  we  have  in  France,  but  still  I  am  very  happy 
there ;  for  somehow  I  do  not  feel  so  far  away  from  France, 
or  papa,  or  Gustave,  when  I  am  in  church.  Mademoiselle 
says  it  is  because  I  feel  there  that  I"  belong  to  the  great 
family  of  Christians,  which  is  found  everywhere  in  the 
world. 

As  I  shall  not  be  with  Mademoiselle  on  Christmas-day, 
she  has  said  a  good  deal  to  me  to  prepare  me  for  that 
festival.  I  shall  try  to  think  often  of  her  words,  for  they 
make  me  feel  always  better,  purer,  and  nearer  to  God. 


MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON.  233 

1  shall  miss  one  catechism,  but  I  shall  study  the  lesson. 
all  the  same.  Mamma  and  Mademoiselle  have  made  me 
promise  to  take  my  journal  and  write  it  regularly  while  I 
am  at  Champ-Borne,  as  they  will  like  to  hear  all  that  wo, 
see  and  do  there. 

CHAMP-BORNE,  Christmas-day. 

It  already  seems  to  me  an  age  since  I  left  you,  clear 
mamma  and  Mademoiselle,  although  in  reality  we  saw 
you  yesterday  morning.  Stephanie  and  I  have  been  talk 
ing  about  you  to-day,  and  we  hope  that  you  are  thinking 
of  us,  and  that  Berthe  is  good  and  happy. 

I  must  tell  you,  first  of  all,  that  we  have  been  to  Mass 
this  morning  in  the  church  of  Saint  Andre.  I  tried  not  to 
be  disturbed  in  my  prayers  by  being  in  a  strange  church, 
but  I  felt  rather  shy,  for  there  were  so  many  new  people, 
and  every  one  looked  at  us. 

I  must  tell  you  about  our  drive  with  M.  de  la  Gaze, 
which  began  very  pleasantly,  as  the  cabriolet  was  very  com 
fortable,  and  M.  de  la  Gaze  was  very  kind.  He  pointed 
out  different  things  to  us  as  we  drove,  and  was  so  pleasant 
and  lively  that  we  were  much  amused.  He  talks  very 
animatedly,  as  I  suppose  you  have  noticed;  he  uses  his 
hands  a  great  deal  as  he  talks,  and  when  he  is  excited  his 
eyes  grow  very  bright.  This  surprises  Stephanie  very 
much,  because  she  is  so  quiet  herself. 

We  passed  several  rivers  on  our  journey,  and  near  one 
of  them  we  noticed  huge  rocks  lying  about,  and  fields 
covered  with  stones,  which  looked  as  if  they  had  been 
burnt,  they  were  so  black ;  but  when  Stephanie  asked  if 
there  had  been  a  great  lire  there,  M.  de  la  Gaze  said  : 

''  Oh,  no,  all  that  is  caused  by  a  volcano,  and  you  will 
find  such  places  all  over  the  island."  It  seemed  very 
strange. 


234:  MARGUERITE   AT   "BOURBON. 

Both  Stephanie  and  I  were  really  frightened  at  one 
place,  called  Sainte  Marie,  where  we  had  to  ford  a  river. 
When  I  saw  that  the  water  came  nearly  as  high  as  my 
feet,  I  grew  very  pale,  and  Stephanie  whispered :  "  Oh  dear, 
oh  dear !  what  will  mamma  do  if  we  are  drowned  ? "  I 
think  M.  de  la  Gaze  saw  that  we  were  afraid,  and  assured 
us  there  was  not  the  least  danger ;  but  we  were  not  satisfied 
until  we  reached  the  other  side. 

At  another  place,  called  the  Ravine  des  Chevres,  we  had  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  sea.  The  road  wound  down  the  side 
of  a  hill  so  sharply  that  sometimes  it  seemed  as  if  we 
must  plunge  into  the  sea ;  but  how  blue  it  was,  and  how 
quiet !  I  think  dear  papa  must  have  fine  weather.  We 
saw  several  vessels,  but  not  the  dear  Isere. 

At  Sainte  Suzanne,  another  place,  M  de  la  Gaze  pointed 
out  a  country-place  called  the  Quartier-Frai^ais,  where 
Mme.  Dumont  lives.  All  the  country-places  have  names ; 
that  of  M.  de  la  Gaze  is  Eadamier,  on  account  of  a  splen 
did  tree  of  that  name  that  shades  nearly  the  whole  court 
yard.  . 

M,  de  la  Gaze  showed  me  all  the  different  sorts  of  trees 
— bananas,  palms,  cocoa-nuts,  and  many  others  ;  we  saw, 
too,  the  places  wheue  they  make  cloves  and  coffee,  and  also 
many  orangeries.  We  passed  fields  covered  with  sugar 
cane,  but  most  of  it  is  now  cut,  as  it  is  the  time  for  working 
it.  It  is  a  beautiful  plant,  with  its  long,  slender  stalk,  and 
delicate  green  leaves,  which  hang  down  so  gracefully. 
We  saw  maize  and  tapioca,  the  last  of  which  M.  de  la  Gaze 
told  me  was  very  useful  both  for  Hnan  and  animals.  But 
indeed  I  must  stop,  for  I  am  very  tired  and  will  go  and  play. 

Sunday,  December  26tk. 

We  were  all  so  disappointed  this  morning  to  find  that 
we  could  not  go  t'j  Mass.  I  dare  say,  dear  mamma  and 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  235 

Mademoiselle,  that  you  will  be  surprised  at  this ;  but  it 
could  not  be  avoided,  for  M.  de  da  Gaze's  horse  was  sick, 
and  we  could  not  get  another.  Marie  and  Jeanne,  with 
Stephanie  and  myself,  read  the  prayers  together,  and  tried 
to  be  earnest  and  full  of  good  thoughts. 

But  I  must  tell  you  about  our  arrival  here.  We  were 
beginning  to  feel  terribly  tired  and  hungry  after  our  long 
drive,  when  suddenly  M.  de  la  Gaze  pointed  to  a  large 
filao  standing  before  us,  and  said  : 

"  That  tree  seems  intended  to  point  out  my  place,  for  it 
stands  just  at  the  entrance  of  the  avenue."  Oh,  how  de 
lighted  we  were  to  hear  that  we  were  so  near  the  house  ! 

When  we  were  about  half-way  up  the  avenue  I  began 
to  see  the  house.  I  noticed  something  white  in  the  road  be 
fore  us,  which  seemed  coining  toward  us.  I  cried  :  "  There 
are  some  people." 

"  Oh,  it  is  the  children,"  said  M.  de  la  Gaze.  I  watched 
the  white  figures  coming  towards  us,  but  I  could  not  see 
Marie's  black  dress.  How  strange  that  she  should  not 
come  to  welcome  me  ! 

Stephanie  began  to  feel  shy  at  the  idea  of  meeting 
strangers,  when  I  pushed  her  and  asked : 

"  Does  not  one  look  like  Marie,  Stephanie .?  " 

"  Oh,  no,"  she  replied,  "  for  they  all  are  in  white."  M. 
de  la  Gaze  heard  us.  and  said : 

"  It  is  Marie,  with  Jeanne  and  my  daughter  Marianne. 
My  nieces  are  wearing  white  now  at  my  request,  on  ac 
count  of  the  heat."  This  explained  it  all. 

How  glad  I  was  to  see  Marie  again,  who  looked  strange 
ly  and  yet  very  sweetly  in  her  white  dress.  Jeanne,  too, 
looked  very  nicely,  and  I  think  these  white  muslin  dresses, 
which  all  the  little  girls  wear  here,  are  very  pretty,  so  sim 
ple  and  cool.  Marianne  de  la  Gaze  had  a  very  pretty 


236  MAJRGUERITE   AT  BOUKBON. 

cherry-colored  silk  scarf  tied  around  her  neck,  which 
looked  charmingly  with  her  white  dress.  She  is  very 
handsome,  although  very  dark,  with  splendid  black  eyes, 
and  a  very  graceful  figure. 

We  found  the  other  children  playing  near  the  house, 
and  they  aU  rushed  to  welcome  their  father,  but  ran  away 
at  once  on  seeing  us.  They  are  all  very  shy,  even  Marianne, 
who  hardly  spoke  to  us  at  all  the  first  day,  and  even  now 
says  very  little  to  us. 

There  are  two  older  sons,  one  who  has  gone  to  sea,  and 
another  who  has  just  sailed  for  France  to  finish  his  edu 
cation.  It  is  quite  funny  to  think  that  we  must  have 
passed  him  on  the  ocean,  for  he  sailed  in  the  Camille, 
and  there  was  a  little  girl  on  board  named  Anna.  Do 
you  remember  the  little  bird  we  caught  with  the  name  of 
Anna  around  his  neck  \ 

Mme.  de  la  Gaze  is  very  kind,  and  still  handsome ;  but 
she  frightens  me  a  little,  as  she  is  quite  grave,  and  I  feel 
more  at  ease  with  M.  Adrien.  The  house  is  not  large,  and  is 
very  simple.  I  was  afraid  when  I  saw  the  bedrooms  that 
we  were  crowding  them  too  much ;  but  Marie  told  me  I 
must  not  think  so,  for  they  were  accustomed  to  have  friends 
with  them,  and  always  managed  to  accommodate  them. 

We  enjoyed  our  first  day  at  Badamier  very  much ;  but 
indeed  we  have  found  every  day  pleasant.  We  walked  in 
the  avenue ;  where  we  were  protected  from  the  sun  by  huge 
trees,  at  which  it  was  a  pleasure  to  look.  When  the  sun 
had  gone  down,  Marie  invited  me  to  come  and  look  at  "  our 
friend  the  sea  " 

Oh,  how  magnificent  it  was !  It  was  very  calm,  but 
the  roar  of  the  waves,  as  they  broke  on  the  pebbles  and 
rolled  down  again,  was  like  a  continual  beautiful  song. 
One  thing,  too,  is  so  very  pretty,  that  is,  the  green  shores, 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOTJKBON.  237 

for  the  pebbles  are  covered  with  creeping  vines  having  little 
bell-shaped  flowers,  which  I  am  sure  would  delight  Berthe. 

Monday,  December  27th. 

Stephanie  and  I  were  made  very  happy  yesterday  by 
such  a  nice  letter  from  Mademoiselle,  with  two  lines  from 
mamma,  and  Berthe's  love  in  very  big  letters  at  the  end. 
I  showed  it  all  to  Marie,  who  enjoyed  it  with  ns. 

Mine,  de  la  Gaze  was  so  kind  to  Stephanie  yesterday  on 
account  of  her  sore  throat.  (As  it  is  now  quite  well  mam 
ma  will  not  be  worried.)  Mme.  de  la  Caze  looked  in 
Stephanie's  throat  at  once,  to  be  sure  that  it  was  not 
white,  for  it  seems  they  have  a  terrible  disease  of  the 
throat  in  Bourbon  which  kills  many  children.  But 
Stephanie's  was  not  bad  at  all,  so  she  only  had  to  drink  a 
little  lemonade,  which  I  tasted  too,  and  found  very  nice. 

1  think  that  Stephanie  took  cold  last  evening  on  the 
shore,  where  we  were  walking  without  anything  on  our 
heads.  The  strong  breeze  was  very  refreshing  after  the 
warm  day,  but  we  are  not  quite  accustomed  to  it. 

This  morning  Marie  and  I  have  been  rambling  in  the 
great  avenue,  while  the  others  were  amusing  themselves 
in  different  ways.  How  I  wished  for  you  all  to  be  here! 

There  is  a  stream  which  runs  all  along  on  one  side  of 
the  avenue,  and  separates  it  from  the  coffee-plantation,  and 
on  the  edge  of  which  we  sat  down  every  now  and  then  to 
enjoy  the  songs  of  the  birds.  They  were  singing  all  about 
us,  and  with  the  sound  of  the  running  water  as  an  ac 
companiment  they  made  delightful  music.  The  real  coun 
try  is  so  much  more  delightfu  Ithan  all  the  fine  gardens 
of  the  Tuileries  and  Cha»ips-Elysees. 

Marie  asked  me  if  I  would  like  to  go  into  the  coffee- 
plantation,  to  which  I  quickly  said  "  Yes ;  "  so  she  told  me 
to  walk  behind  her,  so  as  to  avoid  the  wasps'  nests,  as  she 


238  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

knew  where  to  look  for  them.  Suddenly  I  perceived  the 
most  beautiful  red  bird,  which  Marie  told  me  was  a  car 
dinal.  I  can  hardly  tell  you  how  brilliant  his  color  was, 
nor  how  beautifully  he  looked  amongst  the  green  leaves  ! 

While  we  were  talking  about  the  birds  we  forgot  the 
wasps,  and  we  came  directly  under  one  of  their  nests  with 
out  noticing  it.  I  shall  never  forget  how  frightened  I  was 
when  I  saw  Marie's  straw  hat  covered  with  the  ugly  yellow 
creatures.  Marie  cried  out :  "  Bend  down  as  much  as  you 
can  and  follow  me,  but  do  not  be  frightened."  I  was 
frightened,  however,  and  Marie  laughed  at  me  well  when 
she  saw  how  pale  I  was. 

Presently  we  came  to  a  cross-path,  which  Marie  took,  and 
soon  brought  me  to  a  little  garden-patch,  filled  with  differ 
ent  vegetables,  and  on  one  side  a  low  hut. 

"  Here  is  where  the  keeper  of  the  coffee-plantation  lives," 
said  Marie,  "  and  we  will  pay  him  a  visit  if  you  like." 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  I  answered,  "  I  would  like  it  very  much." 

"  But  it  may  shock  you  to  see  him,  Marguerite,  although 
he  is  one  of  my  proteges." 

"  Why,  Marie  ? " 

"  He  has  a  horrible  disease.  He  is  a  leper."  Oh,  how 
startled  I  was,  and  as  I  said  nothing,  Marie  said  : 

"  No,  do  not  come  in  if  you  dislike  seeing  him  ;  I  will 
just  run  in  and  see  how  he  is." 

But  when  I  saw  how  brave  Marie  was,  1  felt  ashamed  of 
my  horror,  and  said  I  would  go  with  her. 

We  found  poor  Barabbe  crouching  on  a  mat,  and  appa 
rently  very  cold,  for  he  was  shivering  and  trying  to  light  a 
fire  with  a  few  sticks.  But  he  did  not  seem  able  to  do 
anything,  and  I  could  see  that  his  hands  were  quite  white, 
and  his  feet  too,  and  horrible,  as  if  partly  eaten  away.  It 
made  nie  shudder,  and  I  did  not  dare  go  near  him.  But 


MARGUERITE    AT   BOUKBON.  239 

Marie  bent  down,  gathered  the  wood  together,  and  soon 
had  a  nice  little  fire.     Then  she  said  : 

"  Well,  Barabbe,  what  are  we  to  cook  to-day  ?  "  I  cannot 
repeat  his  words,  for  he  talks  so  strangely,  even  worse  than 
Babet.  (Oh,  I  have  quite  forgotten  to  tell  you  how  delighted 
Babet  was  to  see  us  again.  She  waits  on  us  so  nicely, 
and  was  charmed  with  the  dress  \ve  brought  her.)  Barabbe 
showed  Marie  the  saucepan  of  rice,  and  she  laid  some  flat 
stones  in  the  fire,  and  putting  the  saucepan  on  them  it  was 
soon  bubbling  and  steaming.  Marie  told  him  that  I  was 
a  friend  of  hers,  and  he  smiled  and  showed  his  white  teeth, 
and  indeed  seemed  quite  gay  before  the  warm  fire. 

He  talked  a  good  deal  to  me,  and  told  me  how  they  had 
put  him  there  to  keep  him  away  from  the  other  negroes ; 
that  M.  and  Mine,  de  la  Gaze  were  very  kind  to  him,  but 
that  he  felt  very  lonely  and  banished  until  Marie  came. 
Now  he  looked  for  her  visits  as  his  only  happiness,  and 
since  Marie  had  told  him  about  God,  and  had  taught  him  to 
pray,  he  was  never  so  lonely.  Is  it  not  beautiful  in  Marie  ? 

Before  we  came  away  Marie  and  I  swept  out  the  little 
hut,  put  the  few,  very  few  things  in  order,  and  cut  him  a 
bunch  of  vegetables  that  he  might  cook.  He  said  good- 
by  to  us  very  pleasantly,  and  Marie  said  she  could  see  that 
he  was  pleased  by  my  visit. 

Tuesday,  December  2Sth. 

I  cannot  write  a  great  deal  to-day,  for  we  are  going  out 
after  breakfast,  and  I  have  not  much  time.  Last  evening 
we  took  a  long  walk  by  moonlight,  which  was  delightful. 
We  wTent  to  see  a  friend  of  M.  de~la  Gaze,  who  has  a  sugar- 
plantation.  The  negroes  were  still  at  work,  for  they  have 
not  enough  hands  at  present. 

The  gentleman  and  his  brother-in-law  walked  home  with 
us,  and  I  was  much  interested  to  hear  them  talking  politics. 


MAKGUEEITE   AT   BOURBON. 

I  did  not  know  how  much  I  loved  my  own  country  until  I 
came  away  from  France ;  but  how  very  French  the  Creoles 
are! 

We  sat  on  the  veranda  some  time  after  our  walk,  for  it 
was  so  beautiful  we -could  not  bear  to  go  to  bed.  Sud 
denly,  while  I  was  talking  to  Marie,  I  saw  such  a  queer 
creature,  lookinglike  an  enormous  spider,  but  with  a  white 
shell  on  its  back. 

"  Oh,  that  is  a  crab,"  said  Marie ;  "  they  often  come  up 
here.  Why,  the  other  day  I  found  one  on  the  top  of  my 
mosquito  frame."  This  did  not  make  me  feel  any  easier ;  but 
Marie  assured  me  they  were  harmless,  unless  I  put  my  finger 
into  its  claw,  and  then  it  would  rather  be  killed  than  let  it 
go;  but  I  told  her  I  had  no  desire  to  try  the  experiment. 

It  is  really  terrible  the  number  of  creatures  that  they  have 
here  !  The  mosquitoes  nearly  devour  Stephanie  and  me,  for 
they  tell  us  they  prefer  European  blood.  Then  there  are 
so  many  lizards,  which  are  harmless,  and  very  pretty  too. 
Yesterday  little  Helena  brought  us  some  lizards'  eggs. 
You  cannot  imagine  how  pretty  they  are,  exactly  like  a 
hen's  egg,  only  so  very  small,  not  larger  than  the  end  of 
my  little  finger.  Stephanie  has  put  them  in  a  box  with  cot 
ton,  and  hopes  to  hatch  them,  which  would  be  very  funny. 
When  we  are  walking  we  often  see  blue  or  green  lizards 
running  over  the  stones  or  sleeping  in  the  sun. 

But  we  are  to  go  and  spend  the  day  with  Mme.  Dumont, 
and  I  hear  Babet  calling  us  now. 

Wednesday,  December  29th. 

Before  I  say  anything  of  our  visit  yesterday,  I  must 
tell  what  has  really  troubled  me.  M.  de  la  Gaze  has  very 
kindly  insisted  upon  keeping  us  a'  few  days  longer,  as  he 
says  the  country  air  has  already  made  both  Stephanie  and 
myself  look  so  much  better.  It  is  very  pleasant  here,  and 


MARGUERITE  AT   BOURBON.  241 

every  one  is  very  kind  to  us,  but  I  wanted  to  be  with 
mamma  on  New- Year's  Day,  for  it  will  be  so  lonely  for 
her  without  papa,  or  Gustave,  or  dear  baby.  But  mamma 
has  written  to  say  we  may  stay,  and  must  try  to  get  strong 
and  rosy,  so  I  will  try  to  be  contented. 

We  passed  the  afternoon  at  Mme.  Dumont's  yesterday, 
and  a  most  beautiful  place  it  is !  Mme.  de  la  Gaze  did  not 
go  with  us,  so  M.  Adrien  took  us  all  in  a  large  carriage, 
drawn  by  mules,  which  seemed  very  strong  and  gentle. 

When  \ve  entered  the  long  avenue  leading  up  to  the 
house,  I  cried  out  with  delight,  for  it  was  like  visiting 
one  of  the  chateaux  in  France.  The  house  is  immense, 
with  four  avenues  leading  to  it  of  the  most  beautiful  trees 
I  ever  saw,  finer  than  any  I  have  seen  in  France. 

The  gardens  around  the  house  were  bright  with  all 
kinds  of  flowers,  roses,  heliotrope,  forget-me-not,  and  many 
more  I  cannot  name.  The  hedges  were  of  Bengal  roses, 
while  the  walls  of  the  house  were  festooned  with  honey 
suckle  and  jessamine.  Then  there  were  great  clumps  of 
pomegranate-trees,  with  their  splendid  red  blossoms  in  the 
midst  of  glossy  leaves.  But  what  I  admired  more  than  all 
were  some  pretty  trees,  with  light,  delicate  foliage,  which 
were  covered  with  magnificent  flowers  of  so  brilliant  a  red 
that  they  looked  like  fire.  They  call  them  "  flame-trees." 

I  saw,  too,  the  vanilla  vine,  which  climbs  up  the  trees, 
covering  their  trunks  with  a  thick  foliage.  It  is  from  the 
pod  that  they  get  the  flavor  we  all  like  so  much.  It  takes 
a  year  to  prepare  it,  as  it  has  to  be  -picked  and  very  care 
fully  dried.  But  I  might  write  a  great  deal  more  without 
saying  a  word  of  Mme.  Dumont  and  her  friends. 

Both  Stephanie  and  I  were  really  frightened  when  we 
reached  the  house  and  saw  the  veranda  full  of  people. 

Mine.  Dumont  had  invited  a  number  of  guests  to  pasa 
11 


242  MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON. 

New- Year's  Day,  and  they  embarrassed  us  terribly  by 
looking  at  us  and  making  remarks  about  us,  although 
what  they  said  was  very  kind. 

Mme.  Dumont  welcomed  us  very  kindly,  and  asked  after 
you.  She  seemed  very  glad  to  hear  that  you  found  her 
house  so  comfortable  and  pleasant.  After  talking  to  Mme. 
Dumont  a  little  while,  I  found  that  poor  Stephanie  was 
still  clinging  to  my  arm  and  looking  so  shy  and  miserable 
that  I  felt  sorry  for  her,  especially  as  I  did  not  feel  very 
brave  myself.  So  I  made  a  sign  to  Marie,  who  asked 
Mme.  Dumont  if  we  might  go  and  take  off  our  hats. 
One  of  her  nieces,  who  was  very  shy,  went  with  us,  and 
never  spoke  to  us.  In  the  bedroom  the  negresses  looked 
at  us  with  the  greatest  curiosity,  saying :  "  Oh,  you  are  come 
from  France,  little  Miss."  They  all  seem  to  think  it  is  so 
strange  that  we  should  be  so  red  and  white. 

After  lunch  we  went  into  the  parlor,  as  the  sun  was  still 
so  very  warm,  and  then  I  think  my  dear  mamma  would 
have  been  sorry  for  her  poor  Marguerite !  All  the  guests  of 
Mme.  Dumont  sat  around  and  looked  at  me,  while  one  of 
the  gentlemen  askecl  me  all  sorts  of  questions  about  France 
and  our  voyage.  I  was  so  embarrassed  I  could  hardly 
speak,  and  when  they  laughed  at  anything  I  said  which 
seemed  at  all  funny,  I  thought  they  were  making  sport  of 
me.  I  was  so  glad  when  we  all  went  out  under  the  trees. 

Hew  wild  the  children  were !  No  one  seemed  able  to 
control  them.  They  ran  back  and  forth,  screaming,  and 
often  quarrelling  and  crying.  They  were  very  shy,  too, 
and  would  not  come  near  us,  although  they  looked  so 
prettily  in  their  white  or  pink  dresses  with  short  sleeves 
and  long  curls  that  I  longed  to  kiss  them. 

Stephanie  was  quite  oppressed  by  the  noise  they  made, 
and  Jeanne  whispered  to  me: 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  243 

"  What  do  yon  think  Mile.  Valmy  would  say  ? " 

The  young  mammas,  however,  seemed  very  quiet  and 
ladylike,  and  I  suppose  they  were  all  brought  np  in  the 
same  way.  Marie  says  that  the  Creoles  are  very  fond  of 
their  children,  but  they  cannot  take  the  trouble  to  train 
them  carefully.  Sometimes  it  does  them  no  harm  to  be 
so  untamed,  but  again  it  does  not  answer  so  well. 

But  if  the  children  are  wild  and  shy,  they  are  very  kind, 
for  they  took  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  amuse  us.  They 
brought  us  all  sorts  of  fruit  to  taste,  and  the  little  boys 
climbed  the  trees  to  pick  it,  as  if  they  were  cats.  Even 
some  of  the  little  girls  know  how  to  climb,  which  surprised 
me  very  much. 

We  walked  for  a  little  while  along  the  banks  of  the 
river  Saint  Jean,  and  the  little  boys  brought  me  a  quantity 
of  delicious  raspberries,  which  grow  on  the  edge  of  the 
water.  Sometimes  they  would  even  wade  into  the  river 
to  get  the  berries,  and  caught  quite  a  number  of  shrimp 
too,  which  made  a  n*ice  dish  for  dinner. 

What  a  long  dinner  table  we  had  !  We  had  all  sorts  of 
nice  dishes,- but  I  had  already  eaten  so  much  fruit  that  I  had 
very  little  appetite.  They  gave  me  rice,  too,  instead  of 
bread,  which  all  the  Creoles  use  in  that  way  ;  but  I  cannot 
get  used  to  it,  and  the  children  seemed  much  amused  to 
see  me  puzzled  what  to  do  with  it. 

Poor  Stephanie  bit  into  a  pepper-corn,  which  hurt  her 
so  much  that  she  burst  out  crying,  and  could  hardly  be  com 
forted.  The  butler  came  with  a  hot  coal,  which  he  wanted 
to  hold  to  her  mouth  to  draw  out  the  pain;  but  this  fright 
ened  Stephanie  still  more,  and  she  would  not  let  him  come 
near  her.  I  felt  really  ashamed  of  making  such  a  com 
motion. 

After  dinner  we  sat  out§ide,  while  some  of  the  young 


244  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

ladies  played  on  the  piano  and  sang  duets  and  choruses. 
It  was  delightful  to  sit  listening  to  the  music,  in  the  beauti 
ful  moonlight.  It  was  quite  late  when  we  came  away, 
and  I  certainly  enjoyed  the  day  very  much. 

Friday,  December  31st. 

"We  went  yesterday  afternoon  to  visit  a  f  rierid  of  Mine, 
de  la  Gaze,  who  has  a  charming  place  and  some  nice 
children.  I  saw  a  great  many  things  which  interested 
me,  but  one  most  of  all. 

In  a  field  quite  away  from  the  house  I  saw  some  bushes 
which  looked  as  if  covered  with  snow  (listen,  Berthe),  and 
I  called  to  Jeanne,  who  was  near  me :  "  Oh,  what  is  that  ?  " 

Jeanne  laughed  and  replied  :-•"  Cotton." 

I  thought  they  were  making  fun  of  me,  but  Marie  told 
me  to  come  and  look  at  it,  and  I  saw  it  was  indeed  cotton. 
It  looked  so  prettily,  bursting  out  of  its  large  pods.  The 
children  were  much  amused  at  my  surprise,  and  gave  me 
a  quantity  of  the  cotton,  which  Berthe  shall  have  to  make 
a  pillow  for  her  doll. 

I  Then  I  saw  the  cinnamon-trees,  cocoa-trees,-from  which 
chocolate  is  made,  bread-fruit  trees,  of  which  the  fruit  is 
jvery  nice  cooked  like  fried  potatoes.  There  were  date 
and  sago  trees  so  large  and  beautiful  that  it  was  a  pleasure, 
only  to  look  at  them. 

I  enjoyed  the  visit  very  much,  for  I  soon  "  made  friends" 
with  the  daughters  of  Mme.  Alaire ;  but  Stephanie  is  so 
terribly  shy.  She  never  leaves  my  side,  and  never  speaks 
a  word.  I  wish  dear  Mademoiselle  could  teach,  her  to 
be  less  timid.  She  is  afraid,  too,  of  being  left  alone  in 
the  dark,  and  I  quite  scolded  her  the  other  night  because 
she  cried  when  I  went  out  of  the  bedroom  for  a  moment. 
I  told  her  she  could  not  really  believe  in  God  if  she  was 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  245 

so  afraid  to  be  alone,  for  He  was  everywhere  and  would 
take  care  of  her.  Marie  said  the  same,  only  more  gently 
than  I  did,  and  Stephanie  promised  not  to  cry  again  when 
she  felt  afraid ;  but  I  told  her  that  was  not  enough,  she 
must  not  e\en.feel  afraid. 

Saturday,  January  1st,  18 — . 

And  I  have  Begun  this  new  year  away  from  mamma, 
from  my  two  mothers  !  Far  from  papa,  too,  and  Gustave 
and  Berthe,  and  our  dear  little  angel  in  heaven  !  And  last 
year  we  were  all  together.  What  a  difference ! 

But  I  will  not  think  too  much  of  these  things.  I  have 
already  promised  God  to  try  to  be  more  gentle,  and  reason 
able  this  year,  and  I  have  asked  for  His  help.  This  is 
to  be  the  year  of  my  "first  communion!"  What  a  hap 
piness  ! 

Last  evening  both  Stephanie  and  I  felt  very  sad,  and  I 
saw  that  she  had  tears  in  her  eyes  at  bedtime.  When  I 
asked  her  what  was  the  matter,  she  said  : 

"  Oh,  Marguerite,  do  you  believe  mamma  is  thinking  of 

118?" 

"  Yes,  indeed ;  did  she  not  write  that  she  would  do  so  ?  " 

"  Yes,  to  be  sure  ;  but  it  is  very  sad  not  to  be  able  to  give 
her  a  kiss  to-morrow  !  "  And  I  agreed  with  her  heartily. 

We  all  four  said  our  prayers  together,  and  then  each 
one  had  a  prayer  to  say  apart,  asking  God  for  His  special 
help  and  for  pardon  for  our  particular  sins. 

We  all  kissed  each  other  more  affectionately  than  usual, 
for  Xew- Year's  Day,  and  you  can  tell  how  much  we 
thought  of  you  and  Mademoiselle. 

The  children  all  went  to  wish  M.  and  Mme.  de  la  Gaze  "  a 
happy  New  Year,"  and  they  were  very  kind  to  us  too.  I 
have  been  writing'  my  journal  early,  because  I  want  to  see 


246  MAKGUEEITE   AT   BOURBON. 

the  grand  distribution  of  jfresents  to  the  negroes,  which 
takes  place  by  and  by. 

Sunday,  January  2d. 

To-day  we  were  all  able  to  go  to  Mass,  as  we  had  two 
carriages,  and  Marianne  went  on  horseback,  which  gave 
Stephanie  a  place.  It  is  quite  a  journey  from  Badamier 
to  the  church  at  Saint  Andre,  but  I  was  so  glad  to  go. 
There  were  a  great  many  people  there,  but  the  church  is 
very  plain  and  simple;  still  I  like  it  very  much.  Most  of 
the  ladies  wore  large  black  or  white  vails  instead  of  bon 
nets. 

As  we  came  out  of  church  I  heard  some  of  them  say 
ing  :  "  Oh,  those  are  the  little  Parisians ;  how  pretty  they 
are !  "  which  made  me  feel  awkwardly  again. 

I  must  not  forget  to  tell  that  M.  and  Mme.  de  la  Gaze 
were  so  kind  as  to  give  us  each  a  present,  as  if  we  had 
been  daughters  or  nieces.  They  gave  us  such  pretty  gold 
lockets ;  in  mine  was  Marie's  hair,  and  in  Stephanie's  a 
]ock  of  Jeanne's.  It  was  such  a  beautiful  present,  and  a 
surprise  too ! 

We  passed  our  day  very  pleasantly.  After  breakfast 
Mme.  de  la  'Gaze,  Marianne,  and  Marie  arranged  the  pack 
ages  for  the  negroes  on  a  large  table,  and  in  a  little  while 
the  whole  band  arrived.  The  men  had  jackets  or  panta 
loons  of  blue  stuff  given  them,  and  the  women  dresses  or  un 
derclothes,  or  colored  handkerchiefs  for  the  head.  They 
all  seemed  greatly  pleased  with  their  presents,  laughing  and 
wishing  every  one  "  a  happy  Xew  Year."  I  was  surj .  Jsea 
to  hear  them  wish  Marianne  and^Marie  "  a  good  husband  !  " 

It  is  very  funny  to  see  all  these  different  negroes  and 
negresses.  At  first  they  all  looked  alike  to  me,  and  I 
could  hardly  recognize  any  of  them.  Now,  however,  I  can 
tel]  the  Caffres  by  their  great  flat  and  very  black  faces, 


MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON.  247 

while  the  Malays  are  yellow,  with  soft,  silky  hair.  Mme. 
de  la  Gaze  has  a  young  Malay  girl  for  a  chamber-maid, 
who  is  very  j»retty  in  spite  of  the  great  holes  cut  in  her* 
ears,  the  fashion  in  her  country.  The  Yambaues  are  the 
•  finest  and  handsomest  of  all  the  blacks,  and  the  women 
are  really  beautiful. 

The  Malabars  are  from  India,  and  are  free.     They  look> 
so  well  dressed  in  white  cotton,  which  is  draped  around 
them  quite  gracefully.     When  they  make  any  money,  they 
put  it  all  into  bracelets,  which  they  wear  with  much  pride. 

M.  and  Mme.  de  la  Caze  are  both  very  good  and  kind 
to  their  slaves,  but  I  do  not  think  I  should  like  to  own 
them  myself. 

Monday,  January  3d. 

In  the  afternoon  of  New  Year's  Day,  the  blacks  had 
made  arrangements  for  a  grand  ball.  I  do  not  know  what 
Berthe  would  have  said  to  it  if  she  had  been  here.  I  think 
the  noise  would  have  frightened  her.  It  was  certainly  a 
curious  scene. 

M.  de  la  Caze  gave  them  some  meat  for  their  dinner, 
and  a  cask  of  wine,  which  they  placed  in  the  great  avenue, 
which  was  given  up  to  them.  At  first  we  looked  at  the 
dancing  from  the  windows,  but  afterwards  M.  and  Mme. 
de  la  Caze  went  down  to  the  avenue,  in  order  to  please  the 
negroes,  and  we  went  with  them.  Both  Stephanie  and 
I  felt  a  little  frightened,  and  kept  very  close  to  the  side  of 
Mme.  de  la  Caze. 

There  was  one  great,  strong  negro  in  particular  at  whom 
1  could  hardly  bear  to  look.  He  had  a  sort  of  diadem  on 
his  head,  made  of  feathers,  and  held  a  large  horse-tail  in 
his  hand,  which  he  flourished  in  all  direction^.  He  seemed 
to  be  king  of  the  ball,  but  he  was  horrible,  with  his  great 


24:8  MARGUERITE   AT   BOUKBON. 

rolling  eyes  and  white  teeth,  as  he  went  jumping  and  leap 
ing  amongst  the  dancers. 

We  did  not  stay  very  long,  for  some  of  the  blacks  soon 
became  tipsy,  but  the  ball  lasted  into  the  night. 

We  passed  a  very  pleasant  evening  ourselves,  playing" 
cards  and  amusing  ourselves,  but  I  wished  for  my  dear 
mamma,  Mademoiselle  and  Berthe. 

We  have  been  taking  a  delightful  walk  this  morning, 
and  came  home  with  our  hands  full  of  beautiful  wild 
flowers. 

Tuesday,  January  <itk. 

Marie  received  such  a  strange  present  yesterday  from 
•her  uncle  !  M.  de  la  Gaze  had  already  given  her,  as  well  as 
Jeanne,  a  very  pretty  shawl,  but  he  added  something  else, 
and  you  would  never  guess  what  it  was,  my  dear  Berthe. 

We  had  been  making  a  visit  to  old  Barabbe,  when,  as 
we  came  into  the  house,  we  met  M.  de  la  Gaze,  who  said  to 
Marie : 

"  My  child,  I  want  to  make  you-  a  present  which  I  feel 
sure  you  will  value.  Our  young  negress  Evelyna  has  just 
had  a  little  girl  born,  and  I  give  it  to  you." 

"  Oh,  uncle,"  said  Marie, "  you  are  very  good,  but — "  and 
she  hesitated. 

"  What  is  it,  my  child  ?"  said  M.  Adrien. 

"  I  do  not  dare  to  tell  you !  " 

"  Why  not  ?     Pray,  speak,  my  child." 

"  Well,  uncle,  I  had  resolved  never  to  own  slaves." 

"  Oh,  is  that  all  ?  Well,  since  this  child  is  yours,  can  you 
not  give  her  her  liberty  by-and-by  ? " 

"  Oh,  if  you  will  permit  that,  Uncle  Adrien,  I  will  gladly 
accept  your  present." 

Marie  kissed  her  uncle,  who  only  asked  her  not  to  say 
anything  to  Evelyna  at  present  about  liberating  the  little 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  249 

girl.  And  then  we  all  ran  away  to  look  at  the  baby. 
Evelyna  seemed  very  much  pleased  to  hear  that  Marie  was 
to  own  the  baby,  but  begged  her,  that  she  would  never 
take  her  child  away  from  her.  As  you  may  be  sure,  Marie 
promised  most  earnestly  never  to  do  so,  and  Evelyna 
thanked  her  with  tears  in  her  eyes. 

After  we  came  away,  Marie  talked  a  great  deal  about 
the  little  girl,  and  asked  me  if  I  had  any  objection  to  have 
it  called  Marguerite.  I  replied  that  I  should  be  very  glad 
to  have  it  named  after  me,  so  it  will  soon  be  baptized. 

I  must  tell  you  a  litte  about  Mane's  plan  for  Barabbe, 
although  it  is  so  warm  that  I  can  hardlv  write.  She  has 

O  «/ 

been  troubled  lest  the  poor  man  should  feel  neglected  after 
we  went  away,  so,  after  some  hesitation,  she  decided  to  ask 
Helena  to  look  after  Barabbe,  for  although  she  is  very 
young,  she  is  very  warm-hearted. 

"We  took  Helena  to  see  Barabbe,  and  she  behaved  very 
sweetly  to  him,  talking  to  him  much  more  easily  than  to 
either  Marie  or  myself.  As  we  came  home,  Marie  explained 
to  her  what  she  would  like  her  to  do  for  Barabbe,  and  He 
lena  seemed  greatly  pleased  and  very  proud  to  be  trusted 
with  the  care  of  him.  She  promises  Marie  to  get  her 
nurse  to  take  her  to  see  Barabbe  every  day  after  we  are 
gone. 

Wednesday,  January  5t7i. 

I  was  very  unkind  to  Stephanie  this  morning,  and  I 
feel  truly  ashamed  of  myself.  I  lost  my  temper  because 
she  would  not  wake  quickly  and  get  dressed,  so  that  we 
could  run  down  to  see  the  sun  rise  over  the  sea.  I  spoke 
very  crossly  to  her,  and  then,  when  I  helped  her  to  tie 
her  bonnet-strings,  I  was  rough  and  pulled  her  hair.  This 
made  her  cry,  which  provoked  me  still  more,  and  I  am 
11* 


250  MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON. 

afraid  we  should  have  had  a  quarrel,  if  Marie  had  not 
spoken  to  me  softly,  which  checked  me. 

As  we  walked  off  together,  I  felt  very  sorry,  so  that  I 
could  not  be  easy  until  I  had  whispered  to  Stephanie,  asking 
her  to  forgive  me.  She  did  so  directly,  and  looked  at  me 
so  sweetly  with  her  great  eyes  that  I  could  not  help  kissing 
her. 

How  beautifully  the  sun  looked  as  it  seemed  to  come 
up  out  of  the  sea.  Its  rays  sparkled  over  the  waves  and 
up  into  the  heavens,  which  were  covered  with  lovely  pink 
and  lilac  clouds,  while  the  sea  was  so  calm,  and  the  air  so 
fresh  ! 

We  went  afterwards  to  the  negro-quarter  to  ask  after 
Marie's  little  girl,  and  I  was  much  interested  in  looking  at 
it.  It  is  like  a  little  town,  for  every  family  has  its  own 
house,  with  a  garden,  in  which  grow  tobacco,  pepper,  and 
even  flowers,  while  the  paths  leading  from  one  house  to 
the  other  look  like  streets.  We  went  into  some  of  the 
cabins,  which  were  poor,  but  very  clean..  Helena  has  been 
several  times  to  see  Barabbe,  who  seems  very  friendly  with 
her.  M.  and  Mine,  de  la  Gaze  also  seem  pleased  to  have 
her  go,  provided  she  always  has  her  nurse  with  her.  ' 

Thursday,  January  6th. 

It  is  decided  when  we  shall  return  to  Saint  Denis.  We 
shall  leave  here  on  Saturday,  and  although  I  am  very  fond 
of  Champ-Borne  and  Badamier,  how  glad  I  shall  be  to  see 
dear  mamma,  Mademoiselle,  and  Berthe  again !  I  feel  as 
if  the  sight  of  their  dear  faces  would  make  me  jump  for 

joj  ! 

Yesterday  my  dear  Marie  gave  me  a  terrible  fright,  but 
1  feel  a  little  consoled  now,  for  I  am  sure  she  is  mistaken. 
We  were  taking  a  walk  before  dinner  along  the  shore,  and 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  251 

the  sea  was  so  beautiful  with  the  setting  sun  that  we  felt 
as  if  we  could  never  look  at  it  enough. 

Marie  told  me  that  her  uncle  had  promised  to  let  her 
stop  at  the  cemetery  of  Saint  Suzanne,  in  order  to  visit  her 
father's  grave,  and  she  added  that  she  hoped  I  would  like 
to  go  with  her.  I  replied  "  Yes  "  at  once,  and  then  Marie 
said  something  which  gave  me  such  a  shock  and  such 
pain  ! 

"  When  you  are  there,  Marguerite,"  she  said,  "  you  will 
see  the  place  where  I  shall  probably  be  laid  some  day.' ' 

"  Oh,  Marie,"  I  cried,  "you  grieve  me !  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  she  said  ;  "  on  the  contrary,  we  ought  to 
think  of  the  grave  as  a  friend.  Think  how  sweetly  we 
shall  sleep  there,  and  awake  thennever  to  die  again  !  "  But 
I  could  not  bear  to  hear  her  speak  so,  and  although  we 
talked  for  a  long  time,  and  Marie  said  many  beautiful  tilings, 
and  so  earnestly  that  I  saw  she  felt  it  all,  I  could  not  be 
convinced  that  death  was  not  very,  very  sad  and  terrible. 

At  last  she  said  to  me  : 

"  Marguerite,  I  must  tell  you  something  which  I  am 
afraid  will  make  you  unhappy,  and  yet  I  feel  as  if  I  ought 
not  to  hide  it  from  you  any  longer." 

"  Oh,  Marie,  what  is  -it  ?  " 

"  Will  you  be  courageous,  Marguerite  ?  I  shall  pain  you, 
my  sister." 

"  Tell  me  quickly,  Marie  ;  I  cannot  wait." 

Marie  hesitated,  but  her  face  was  lighted  up  by  such  a 
lovelv  smile  that  she  looked  more  like  an  an»;el  than  ever, 

«/  O  ' 

and  I  could  only  gaze  at  her,  not  daring  to  say  a  word. 

"  Yes,  Marguerite,  I  will  tell  you, but  you  must  listen  like 
a  Christian.  Well,  I  have  the  presentiment,  no,  almost  the 
certainty,  that  God  will  call  -me  to  Him  very  soon" 

I  gave  a  great  cry,  and,  catching  Marie  by  the  arm,  I 


252  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

turned  so  pale  that  she  was  frightened,  and  thought  I  was 
going  to  faint.  She  put  her  arms  around  me,  and  led  me 
away  where  we  could  sit  down  under  some  bushes  with 
our  faces  turned  to  the  sea. 

"  Oh,  Marie,"  I  cried,  looking  into  her  face, "  what  makes 
you  believe  such  a  cruel  thing  ?  You  are  not  ill,  and  you 
are  not  a  prophet  to  know  when  you  are  to  die." 

Marie  smiled  gently,  and  replied,  putting  her  hand  on 
her  heart : 

"  This  tells  me.  I  am  afraid  to  understand  it,  and  yet 
I  ask  it." 

"  But  what  does  it  say,  Marie  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  have  disease  of  the  heart." 

"  Oh,  Marie,  do  not  say  so,"  I  cried ;  and  then  my  sobs  and 
tears  were  so  violent  that  Marie  could  only  kiss  me  and 
try  to  comfort  me,  while  I  felt  as  if  my  heart  must  break. 
What  should  I  do  without  Marie,  my  dearest  friend  and 
Bister!  It  was  too  much. 

At  last  I  was  a  little  more  quiet,  and  then  I  begged  her 
to  tell  me  why  she  thought  she  had  any  trouble  with  her 
heart.  She  said  her  mother  had  believed  it,  and  had  con 
sulted  physicians  for  her  as  well  as  for  herself. 

"  But,  Marie,  was  it  disease  of  the  heart  which  caused 
your  mother's  death  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Marguerite  ;  and  she  lost  a  sister  by  the  same  dis 
ease.  The  physicians  hoped  the  sea- voyage  would  cure 
my  poor  mother,  but — "  and  Marie  stopped  while  the  tears 
filled  her  eyes. 

Suddenly  the  thought  came  to  me  that  it  was  because 
Marie  had  seen  her  mother  die  of  this  disease  that  she  fan 
cied  her  heart  was  wrong.  I  mentioned  this  to  her  at  once, 
and  she  said  her  Uncle  Adrieu  thought  so  too,  and  indeed 
several  physicians  had  told  her  that  ti.ere  was  no  trouble 


MAEGUEEITE   AT   BOURBON.  253 

with  her  heart.  This  comforted  me  so  much  that  I  began 
to  laugh  and  cry  at  once,  and  Marie  could  only  say  we 
would  not  talk  any  more  about  it  until  I  was  more  calm, 
"  and  Christian,"  as  she  added  with  a  smile. 

You  will  see  my  journal,  dear  mamma  and  Mademoiselle ; 
and  Marie  says  she  has  no  secrets  from  you  This  conver 
sation  will  make  you  unhappy  at  first,  but  I  am  sure  you 
will  think  as  I  do,  that  Marie  is  mistaken. 

I  have  written  such  a  long  journal,  because  we  have  a 
rainy  day,  and  cannot  go  out. 

Friday,  January  1th. 

How  fast  the  rain  is  falling !  It  is  almost  like  a  second 
Deluge,  but  Marie  and  I  have  some  pleasant  books,  so  we 
can  amuse  ourselves  nicely  in-doors. 

I  find  that  I  do  not  agree  with  Marianne  about  books,  for 
she  says  she  always  turns  over  the  page  when  she  finds  any 
thing  moral  in  a  book.  I  used  to  do  so  when  I  was  younger, 
but  Mademoiselle  has  tauo-ht  me  so  differently,  and  now  both 

O  f  v    ' 

Marie  and  I  are  very  fond  of  reading  books  which  tell  us 
of  God  and  His  great  goodness  and  mercy. 

I  tried  to  renew  my  conversation  of  yesterday  with 
Marie,  but  she  was  unwilling  to  continue  the  subject,  and 
indeed  I  was  only  too  glad  to  forget  it. 

I  only  hope  this  bad  weather  will  not  prevent  us  from 
starting  to-morrow,  for  I  shall  be  so  disappointed  !  I  think 
mamma  would  be  a  little  anxious,  as  she  is  expecting  us. 

By-and-by  Marie  and  I  will  put  on  our  thick  shoes,  and 
go  to  say  Good-by  to  Barabbe  and  Evelyna.  B.ubet  is  de 
lighted  at  the  idea  of  going  with  us  to  Saint  Denis. 

I  think  M.  and  Mrne.  de  la  Gaze  feel  badly  to  think  how 
soon  we  shall  all  be  gone.  The  house  will  indeed  seem 
dull  enough,  for  Marianne  returns  to  school  now  also, 
and  they  are  very  fond  of  their  nieces,  especially  Marie 


254:  MARGUERITE    AT    BOURBON. 

To-day  we  had  news  from  France  through  the  papers, 
but  no  letters  came  for  any  of  us.  Marie  and  I  both  long 
to  hear  from  Alberic  and  Gustave. 

To-morrow  I  shall  really  see  my  dear  little  mother ! 

Sunday,  January  16th — SAINT  DENIS. 

I  am  writing  iny  journal  at  last  beside  dear  mamma  and 
Mademoiselle,  but  it  has  seemed  as  if  I  never  should  be 
near  them  again.  Instead  of  reacliing  here  when  we  ex 
pected,  we  were  detained  a  week,  and  all  on  account  of 
those  terrible  rains. 

We  had  quite  an  adventure  when  we  first  left  Badamier, 
and  were  all  pretty  well  frightened.  M.  de  la  Gaze  thought 
we  could  cross  the  river,  although  it  was  much  swollen, 
because  we  had  a  strong  carriage  and  a  good  pair  of  mules. 
We  all  felt  very  timid,  except  Marianne,  who  urged  her 
father  to  try  the  crossing,  even  if  it  was  a  little  difficult. 

We  crossed  the  first  arm  of  the  river  without  much 
trouble,  although  it  seemed  terribly  rapid  and  angry  to  ine, 
but  when  we  reached  the  second  arm,  where  the  water  was 
dashing  in  a  furious  current,  rolling  with  it  large  stones 
and  branches  of  trees,  M.  de  la  Gaze  hesitated,  and  Phanor, 
the  coachman,  said  he  did  not  care  to  risk  the  crossing. 
So  M.  de  la  Gaze  told  him  to  go  back  at  once,  for,  as  the 
water  was  rising  all  the  time,  there  was  no  time  to  lose. 
Stephanie  and  Jeanne  began  to  cry,  and  even  Marianne 
hid  her  face  and  trembled. 

The  first  .arm  was  much  more  swollen  when  we  came 
back  to  it,  and  just  as  we  reached  the  middle  of  the  stream 
the  mules  stopped,  and  Phanor  could  not  make  them  move. 
I  thought  we  must  certainly  be  drowned,  and  suddenly 
Phanor  gave  a  loud  shout,  which  frightened  us  horribly, 
but  he  was  only  calling  to  some  negroes,  who  were  on  the 


MARGUERITE  AT  BOURBON.  255 

river-bank.  These  good  blacks  joined  hands  and  came 
wading  out  to  us,  singing  merrily,  although  the  water  was 
dashing  around  them.  Some  took  hold  of  the  mules,  and 
some  lifted  the  wheels  of  the  carriage,  so  that  in  a  little 
while  we  were  safely  landed  on  the  bank.  What  an  ear 
nest  "Thank  God"  we  all  said,  and  how  grateful  we  felt 
to  the  brave  negroes  who  had  come  to  help  us  !  M.  de  la 
Caze  gave  them  money,  and  we  girls  all  thanked  them, 
which  seemed  to  please  and  amuse  them  greatly. 

Monday,  January  \lth. 

I  did  not  finish  my  story  yesterday,  for  I  found  it  would 
keep  me  too  long  from  my  dear  mamma,  and  now  that  I 
have  her  once  more,  I  cannot  kiss  and  caress  her  enough. 
She  seems  anxious  too  to  have  us  with  her  all  the  time  now, 
and  although  she  is  still  very  sad,  I  can  see  that  she  is 
amused  by  what  we  have  to  tell  her.  What  a  happiness 
it  will  be  for  papa  when  mamma  is  really  well  again ! 

But  I  must  finish  my  story.  After  we  were  a  little 
more  calm  after  our  fright,  M.  de  la  Caze  ordered  the 
coachman  to  go  back,  but  said  we  would  stop  and  pay 
Mine.  Dumont  a  visit  on  our  way. 

Mine.  Dumont  was  delighted  to  see  us,  and  said  that  as 
we  had  said  Good-by  to  Badamier,  and  could  not  reach 
mamma,  she  should  keep  us  at  Quartier-Frai^ais.  I  felt 
very  timid  indeed  at  first,  but  Mine.  Dumont  and  her  friends 
were  so  kind  that  we  soon  felt  more  at  ease.  M.  de  la 
Caze  went  off  on  horseback  to  tell  his  wife  where  we  were, 
and  he  also  sent  a  messenger  to  mamma  over  the  higher 
ground  to  let  her  know  why  we  were  delayed. 

How  kind  and  hospitable  the  Creoles  are  !  They  make 
you  so  heartily  welcome,  and  seem  so  glad  to  have  you  mi- 


256  MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON. 

der  their  roof,  that  one  cannot  but  be  contented.  How  1 
wish  mamma  could  see  more  of  them  ! 

I  was  very. much  amused  while  we  were  at  Reunion,  the 
name  of  Mine.  Dumont's  place,  in  watching  them  make  the 
sugar.  What  a  lively  scene  it  was !  The  blacks  were  go 
ing  back  and  forth,  the  machines  turned,  the  mill  crushed 
the  canes,  the  great  vats  grew  full,  and  you  saw  the  sugar 
made,  as  it  were,  under  your  very  eyes.  First  it  is  sugar 
and  water,  then  sirup,  and  at  last  sugar,  which  is  put  in  the 
sun  to  dry,  and  afterwards  packed  in  bags,  which  go  to 
France  to  be  sold. 

The  great  cart-loads  of  yellow  canes  are  so  pretty,  and 
so  is  the  great  heap  in  which  it  is  piled  until  used.  Sugar 
cane  is  very  nice  to  eat  too,  and  so  is  the  sirup,  only  you 
must  not  take  it  too  warm.  We  had  a  great  laugh  at 
Maurice,  a  little  nephew  of  Mme.  Dumoiit,  who  had  a 
piece  of  bread  to  dip  in  the  sirup.  By  mistake  he  went  to 
a  vat  where  the  sirup  was  boiling  and  dipped  in  his  bread. 
He  shrieked  with  pain,  for  his  fingers  were  quite  badly 
scalded,  but  he  would  not  give  up  the  bread,  all  covered 
with  nice  sugar,  although  every  one  called  out  "  Drop  it, 
Maurice,  drop  it." 

We  had  a  great  deal  of  fun  too  with  the  sugar,  for  we 
children  used  to  pick  out  some  of  the  large  lumps,  when 
they  were  dried,  and  then,  making  a  little  fire  of  sticks,  we 
boiled  our  sirup,  into  which  we  stirred  the  fresh  raspberries 
we  picked  on  the  river-bank,  which  made  a  delightful 
drink. 

1  enjoyed  wading  in  the  river  too,  for  we  used  to  take 
oft  our  shoes  and  stockings,  and,  as  the  water  was  low  in 
certain  places,  we  could  run  about  and  catch  the  shrimp 
as  we  pleased. 

1  saw  very  little  of  Marie,  for  Mme.  Dumoiit  always 


MAKGUEKITE    AT   BOURBON.  257 

had  so  much  to  say  to  her,  so  I  had  to  play  with  the  little 
girls.  I  was  not  sorry  when  it  was  decided  that  the,roads 
were  safe,  and  we  could  start  for  Saint  Denis.  Oh,  what 
joy  it  wras  when  we  arrived,  and  I  rushed  into  the  enclos 
ure  of  our  house,  to  be  clasped  in  dear  Mademoiselle's 
arms  !  She  had  tears  in  her  eyes  too,  as  she  said  :  "  My 
dearest  child,  so  I  have  you  once  more  !  " 

To  our  surprise,  too,  we  saw  mamma  coming  quickly  to 
meet  us,  for  when  we  left  her  she  could  hardly  walk  a  few 
steps.  Oh,  how  sweet  it  was  to  feel  her  kisses  once  more, 
and  to  see  dear  little  Berthe,  who  hopped  and  skipped 
around  us  in  a  transport  of  delight.  I  could  only  thank 
God  from  my  heart  for  bringing  us  all  together  a^ain. 

*J  O         O  O  O  • 

Friday,  January  21st. 

I  went  back  yesterday  to  the  catechism  class,  and  I  am 
so  happy,  because  now  I  am  really  preparing  for  my  first 
communion.  I  was  afraid  that  all  the  interruptions  I  had 
had  would  prevent  me  from  being  ready  as  soon  as  I  hoped, 
but  Mademoiselle  thinks  that  with  extra  industry  I  can 
make  up  the  lost  time. 

Both  she  and  mamma  think  I  had  better  make  my  first 
communion  before  I  leave  Bourbon,  even  if  it  should  keep 
us  here  rather  longer  than  we  expected.  I  feel  that  this  is 
very  good  of  mamma,  for,  of  course,  she  is  anxious  to  be 
with  papa  as  soon  as  possible. 

I  like  1' Abbe  Morin,  who  teaches  us  very  much,  for  he  is 
kind  and  indulgent,  and  indeed  the  other  priests  are  very 
nice,  but  1  often  think  of  1'Abbe  Martin  in  Paris,  and  wish 
for  him. 

I  have  seen  Adele  again,  and  this  time  she  spoke  to  me 
pleasantly  enough.  I  saw  her  when  I  ran  to  speak  to 
Sister  Kosalie,  by  Mademoiselle's  permission,  as  we  came 


258  MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON. 

out  of  the  church.  How  glad  1  was  to  hear  about  the 
otlfer  kind  Sisters  once  more!  They  are  scattered  in  dif 
ferent  parts  of  the  island,  some  in  the  convents,  and  some 
taking  care  of  the  sick  in  the  hospitals.  Sister  .Rosalie 
told  me  that  Adele  had  become  much  more  gentle  and 
polite,  and  she  liked  her  very  much.  Mme.  Bontems  had 
started  a  little  shop,  having  brought  out  some  stock  for  it, 
and  she  hoped  to  do  well.  Mademoiselle  asked  for  her 
address,  so  that  we  could  go  to  Mme.  Bontems  and  buy 
what  we  wanted.  Adele  can  only  remain  with  the  Sisters 
until  after  her  first  communion,  for  mother  needs  her  help 
very  much.  I  feel  sorry  for  Adele,  for  she  cannot  learn 
a  great  deal  in  so  short  a  time,  and  it  would  make  me  very 
unhappy  to  leave  my  studies  when  I  know  so  little. 

Marie  and  I  are  beginning  to  work  again  regularly, 
indeed  we  have  all  resumed  our  lessons  with  Mademoiselle. 
Every  day  is  very  much  alike ;  we  get  up  at  six  o'clock, 
and  as  soon  as  we  are  dressed  we  all  have  prayers  to 
gether  in  mamma's  room.  Then  we  take  a  cup  of  coffee 
before  going  into  the  enclosure  to  walk  and  amuse  our 
selves.  At  half -past  eight  we  are  all  in  the  school-room, 
when  Mademoiselle  first  reads  to  us  from  the  Gospels  or 
the  Imitation  before  we  begin  our  studies.  Our  first  lesson 
is  dictation,  then  verbs  and  grammar.  But  what  Marie  and 
I  enjoy  most  of  all  is,  repeating  verses  of  poetry  which  we 
have  learned.  Sometimes  fables  from  La  Fontaine,  or 
part  of  one  of  Racine's  tragedies,  or  beautiful  verses  from 
Lamartine.  We  both  love  poetry  dearly,  and  often,  when 
we  are  walking  together,  we  repeat  to  each  other  our 
favorite  verses.  What  a  happiness  it  must  be  to  be  able 
to  write  such  beautiful  verses,  and  feel  that  they  are  sure 
to  do  good  and  give  pleasure  to  others. 

To-day  is  a  sad  anniversary,  that  of  the  death  of  poor 


MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON.  259 

King  Louis  XYI.  What  a  sad  history  it  is !  How  bit 
terly  the  poor  Queen  Marie  Antoinette  must  hare  suffered, 
and  that  dear  Mine.  Eliazbeth !  The  French  people  showed 
so  much  courage  and  energy  during  that  terrible  Revolu 
tion,  that  it  seems  too  sad  that  there  should  have  been 
such  monsters  among  them  to  spoil  everything. 

Saturday,  January  22d. 

I  have  not  yet  finished  the  history  of  our  day.  At  half- 
past  ten  we  have  our  breakfast,  and  then  a  recess  until 
half-past  twelve.  After  that  we  begin  our  lessons  again, 
and  while  Mademoiselle  teaches  me  music,  Marie  takes 
charge  of  the  little  ones,  for  she  tries  to  help  Mademoiselle 
as  much  as  possible.  Marie  has  had  to  give  up  music  her 
self,  as  it  fatigued  her  too  much  to  practice,  but  she  helps 
Jeanne  with  her  exercises,  and  I  teach  Stephanie  a  little. 
I  find  it  tries  my  patience  very  much  when  Stephanie 
plays  the  wrong  note,  but  I  try  to  remember  how  kind 
Mademoiselle  has  always  been  to  me. 

At  half-past  two  we  have  our  lunch,  then  Mademoiselle 
reads  to  us  from  the  History  of  France,  'explaining  any 
thing  that  we  do  not  understand  so  clearly  and  pleasantly 
that  I  am  always  sorry  when  the  reading  is  over. 

After  this  Mademoiselle  corrects  our  abstract  of  the  day 
.before,  and  gives  us  a  new  one  to  write.  Then  comes 
algebra  and  geography,  alternate  days,  as  our  problems  and 
maps  take  some  time  to  draw.  Then  we  write  a  sort  of 
confposition.  Sometimes  I  write  in  my  Journal,  when  I 
have  a  great  deal  to  tell.  And  then,  if  we  have  a  little 
time  before  going  to  dress  for  the  six  o'clock  dinner, 
Mademoiselle  reads  to  us,  and  sometimes  mamma  even 
comes  in  to  take  her  place,  since  poor  Mademoiselle  is  often 
very  tired. 


260  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

After  dinner  we  walk  about  in  the  enclosure,  or  sit  on 
the  veranda  until  nine  o'clock,  when  the  children  go  to 
bed.  We  often  have  visitors  in  the  evening,  for  the  Creoles 
dislike  being  out  in  the  hot  sun,  and  they  know,  too,  that  we 
are  all  very  busy  with  our  studies  in  the  daytime.  Mine. 
Vintimil  and  several  others  come  quite  often  to  see 
mamma,  for  whom  every  one  seems  to  feel  sorry. 

I  have  forgotten  to  say  that  the  Governor  and  his  wife 
have  been  very  kind  and  attentive  to  us.  Berthe  is  always 
charmed  when  she  sees  their  carriage,  with  those  pretty 
little  Malabars,  dressed  in  white,  with  red  sashes  and  tur 
bans  ;  they  call  them  the  Governor's  "pawns"  It  was 
the  Governor  who  sent  us  the  excellent  physician  who  took 
care  of  mamma,  and  who  has  examined  Marie  since  we 
came  from  .  Champ-Borne.  He  has  given  Marie  some 
pills,  and  says  we  need  not  be  uneasy,  which  makes  me 
so  happy  and  grateful  to  God. 


Tuesday,  March  8th. 

Oh,  What  a  happy'day  we  had  yesterday,  for  at  last  we 
received  our  letters  from  papa !  We  had  letters  from 
Gustave  too,  and  it  really  seemed  too  much  happiness  at 
once.  The  whole  house  was  turned  "upside  down,"  and 
every  cue  was  too  excited  to  do  anything  regularly. 
Berthe  was  too  funny,  running  up  and  down  stairs  to  show 
every  one,  even  the  servants,  the  dear  little  letter  papa  had 
sent  her,  as  he  did  each  of  us.  I  do  not  see  why  she  did 
not  hurt  -herself  by  falling,  or  why  she  did  not  lose  her 
letter.  She  was  constantly  dropping  it,  looking  for  it  in 
great  distress,  and  when  she  found  it,  bursting  into  peals 
of  laughter  and  delight.  Stephanie  was  very  quiet,  but 
she  held  her  letter  very  tightly,  and  once  I  saw  her  kiss  it. 


MARGUERITE  AT  BOUKBON.  261 

Papa  wrote  to  mamma  of  his  arrival  in  Pondicherry,  and 
described  his  reception,  which  was  quite  imposing  and 
very  kind.  He  thinks  we  shall  like  the  country  very  much, 
but  tells  mamma  he  does  not  wish  us  to  come  on  until  I 
have  made  my  first  communion,  as  I  have  had  so  many 
interruptions.  I3y  that  time,  too,  we  shall  be  more  accus 
tomed  to  the  great  heat.  Papa  says  he  is  quite  well,  and  I 
hope  it  is  true,  but  I  think  he  might  tell  a  little  fib  to  pre 
vent  us  from  being  uneasy. 

The  letters  which  papa  sends  us  from  Gustave  are  very 
sad;  he  cannot  be  consoled  for  our  absence,  although  he 
works  hard  to  try  and  occupy  himself.  It  breaks  one's 
heart  to  read  the  messages  he  sends  for  poor  baby,  whom 
he  loved  so  dearly. 

Gustave  gives  us  n6ws  of  Clara,  who  seems  worse  in 
structed  than  ever.  She  no  longer  has  a  governess,  and 
Mine,  de  Baldi  changes  her  masters  every  fortnight.  M. 
Guer,  who  knows  Mine,  de  Baldi  very  well,  has  tried  to  re 
monstrate  with  her  about  her  management  of  Clara,  but 
she  grows  angry,  and  will  not  listen  to  him. 

Gustave  said  he  had  met  Cecile  Dufon  one  day.  She 
vvas  as  smiling  as  ever,  but  the  tears  came  in  her  eyes  when 
she  asked  if  he  had  heard  from  me. 

Gustave  had  already  been  once  to  the  grave  of  Mademoi 
selle's  parents,  and  sent  her  a  flower  he  had  picked  there 
and  pressed.  Mademoiselle  was  very  much  touched  by 
his  thoughtf  ulness.  We  do  not  expect  to  have  a  reply  to  our 
sad  letters  to  poor  Gustave  before  the  end  of  May.  How 
long  it  seerns  to  wait ! 

Papa  speaks  with  much  affection  of  the  good  priests 
from  whom  he  parted  at  Pondicherry.  They  sent  us  many 
kind  messages,  as  did  also  the  captain  and  all  the  officers 
of  the  Isere.  Papa  was  good  enough,  too,  to  ask  our  old 


262  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

• 

Mario  and  little  Georget  what  word  they  wanted  to  send 
us,  and  they  gave  him  many  respectful  regards  and  mes 
sages.  The  Isere  was  all  in  good  order,  and  I  wonder  if  I 
shall  ever  see  her  again.  I  really  feel  fond  of  her,  al 
though  we  were  all  so  terribly  unhappy  on  board  of  her. 

Wednesday,  March  Qth. 

To-day  is  Stephanie's  birthday,  and  she  is  eight  years 
old  !  She  is  so  quiet  and  sensible  for  her  age,  that  she 
really  seems  like  a  big  girl.  I  have  promised  her  that 
after  this  I  will  try  not  to  speak  of  her  and  Berthe  as  the 
"  little  ones."  I  too  am  growing  fast,  so  that  my  dresses 
have  to  be  lengthened.  At  the  time  of  my  first  commun 
ion  they  are  to  be  made  quite  long,  and  we  are  to  leave  off 
our  mourning  for  dear  baby  at  the,  same  time.  I  do  not 
think  that  mamma  will  ever  give  up  a  black  dress. 

Oh,  how  warm  it  was  to-day  as  we  came  home  after 
Mass  !  There  is  not  a  breath  of  air,  for  I  have  just  been 
looking  at  the  trees,  and  not  a  leaf  'stirs.  How  I  hate  such 
weather,  and  I  feel  afraid  that  something  is  going  to  hap 
pen,  for  Janvier  said  at  breakfast  that  he  thought  we  were 
going  to  have  a  tempest. 

We  were  expecting  Mine.  Dumont  to-day,  but  she  will 
hardly  start  in  such  heat.  How  very  kind  she  is  to  us  ! 
She  will  not  let  mamma  look  out  for  another  house,  al 
though  we  are  staying  so  much  longer  than  we  thought  at 
first,  nor  will  she  let  us  hire  her  servants  who  wait  on  us. 
She  insists  we  are  doing  her  a  favor  by  employing  them. 

Stephanie  has  begun  to-day  to  write  a  journal,  but  she 
says  she  shall  never  have  patience  to  write  as  much  as  I  do, 
and  I  think  that  will  be  better,  my  journal  is  so  long. 


Sunday,  March 
I  have  always  said  that  a  tempest  on  land  would  not 


MAKGUEKITE    AT   BOUKBON.  263 

frighten  me  after  what  I  had  seen  at  sea.  But  I  know 
now  that  it  can  be  terrible  at  land  too,  for  we  have  had  a 
great  fright.  I  only  wonder  that  our  house  was  not  blown 
away. 

As  I  wrote  on  Wednesday  the  heat  was  terrible.  It 
made  us  all  feel  badly,  and  even  when  evening  came  it 
was  no  cooler.  Jeanne  and  I  were  walking  on  the  piazza 
after  dinner,  and  Jeanne  was  telling  me  about  all  the  hur 
ricanes  which  she  could  remember,  when  we  were  startled 
by  hearing  low  moans  in  the  enclosure  next  to  ours.  We 
ran  in -doors  quickly,  although  the  servants  called  to  us 
that  it  was  only  the  dogs  howling  at  the  approach  of  a 
storm.  It  made  me  very  uncomfortable,  and  then  the  sky 
had  such  a  strange  color — like  copper. 

As  we  were  going  to  mamma,  who  had  sent  for  us,  we 
heard  a  carriage  stop  at  our  gate,  and  presently  some  one 
knocked.  Idala  opened  the  gate,  and  there  was  Mme.  Du- 
mont !  She  came  with  her  coach  laden  with  packages  of 
all  kinds  for  our  enjoyment,  fruits,  and  nice  things  in 
abundance. 

When  mamma  welcomed  Mine.  Dumont  and  expressed 
some  surprise  that  she  felt  able  to  travel  in  such  weather, 
she  replied  that  she  thought,  as  we  had  never  experienced 
a  hurricane  before,  she  might  be  of  some  use  to  us.  How 
warmly  mamma  thanked  her,  and  how  thoughtful  it  was 
for  her  to  do  such  a  thing ! 

Mme.  Dumont  sent  the  servants  out  at  once  to  lay  in 
provisions  for  several  days,  and  then  ordered  all  the  doors 
and  windows  to  be  barricaded.  I  could  see  that  these  were 
serious  preparations,  but  I  did  not  feel  afraid,  for  I  was 
really  curious  to  see  such  a  storm,  as  Jeanne  had  described. 
Now  I  am  ashamed  of  my  selfishness,  when  I  think  of  the 
poor  people  who  have  lost  their  crops,  some  of  them  their 


264:  MAEGUEEITE   AT   BOURBON. 

houses  and  all  they  possessed!  The  vessels  too  on  the 
coast,  for  they  had  to  warn  them  all  to  leave  the  harbor, 
as  they  could  not  protect  them.  There  are  fifteen  vessels 
now  absent,  about  which  there  is  great  anxiety. 

On  Wednesday  evening  M.  Yintimil  and  M.  Leo  de 
Yeilles  carne  in  to  see  us  and  offer  their  assistance.  They 
were  delighted  to  find  Mine.  Dumont  with  us,  as  she  knew 
so  well  what  to  do.  They  botli  begged  mamrna  to  send 
for  them  at  any  hour  if  she  needed  them,  and  M.  de  Yeilles 
said  the  same  to  Mademoiselle,  as  he  bade  her  good-by. 

"  Oh,  Monsieur,"  I  cried,  "  you  do  not  know  Made 
moiselle;  she  is  never  frightened  as  we  are." 

"On  the  contrary,  I  think  I  know  her  very  well,"  re 
plied  M.  Leo.  "  She  is  never  alarmed  for  herself,  for  she 
never  thinks  of  herself,  but  she  may  be  anxious  for  others, 
of  whose  comfort  she  thinks  constantly." 

I  like  M.  de  Yeilles  so  much  ;  he  is  so  fine  looking,  and 
his  history  is  interesting  too,  for  he  has  remained  a  widow 
er,  although  he  was  married  only  three  years  before  his 
wife  died,  and  he  looks  so  sad  and  dignified  ! 

We  went  to  bed  after  the  gentlemen  had  gone,  and 
although  I.  was  very  nervous,  I  must  have  fallen  asleep, 
for  I  was  suddenly  awakened  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
by  a  great  racket  and  a  feeling  of  cold.  The  window  had 
flown  open,  and  the  tempest  had  really  begun. 

Marie  came  in  at  this  moment,  and  I  saw  she  was 
dressed.  She  told  me  mamma  and  Mademoiselle  were 
awake,  and  they  had  all  wondered  that  I  had  slept  so  long. 
I  wondered  myself  when  I  heard  the  noise  of  the  storm.  The 
house  trembled,  and  every  moment  it  seemed  as  if  doors  and 
windows  must  give  way  to  the  furious  wind  and  rain. 
Mine.  Dumont  came  to  tell  us  we  need  not  be  alarmed, 
but  we  could  not  feel  secure.  As  we  were  not  willing  to 


MAKGTJEKITE   AT   BOURBON.  265 

go  back  to  our  rooms,  Mme.  Dumont  advised  us  to  bring 
our  mattresses  and  put  them  011  the  floor  in  mamma's  room. 
Indeed,  she  was  kind  enough  to  go  with  Mademoiselle  to 
help  her  move  them. 

Mme.  Dumont  herself  had  to  beg  hospitality  at  our  hands, 
as  she  could  not  stay  in  her  own  little  room,  where  the 
rain  was  coming  in  on  all  sides.  Indeed,  all  the  upper 
rooms  were  wet,  except  mamma's,  in  which  we  all  assem 
bled.  The  poor  negresses  had  to  take  refuge  in  our  din 
ing-room,  for  the  wind  had  carried  off  the  roof  of  their 
cabin,  and  they  had  no  shelter  at  all. 

After  a  time  Mme.  Dnmont  asked  us  to  come  out  into  a 
sheltered  corner  of  the  veranda,  in  order  to  get  a  better  idea 
of  the  storm.  I  shall  never  forget  the  grand  sight.  The 
poor  trees  seemed  to  be  writhing  in  agony,  as  they  tossed 
and  bent,  first  to  one  side,  then  to  the  other.  Each  gust,  as 
it  came,  carried  off  a  quantity  of  leaves,  which  darkened  the 
air  ;  sometimes  there  would  be  a  crash  as  a  large  branch 
would  go,  and  even  now  and  then  a  whole  tree  would  be 
overturned.  I  could  not  help  feeling  sorry  for  them.  The 
wind  seemed  like  a  wild  beast,  which  would  rest  for  a  few 
moments  (and  this  quiet  was  even  more  startling  than  the 
tumult)  and  then  come  roaring  back  again  to  maim  and  de 
stroy.  Sometimes  Jeanne  and  I  had  to  cling  to  the  sides  of  the 
veranda  to  avoid  being  swept  away  or  deluged  with  the 
torrents  of  rain.  Now  and  then  the  poor  birds'  nests  were 
tossed  to  the  ground,  scattering  the  eggs  or  the  little  ones 
in  all  directions.  Janvier  brought  us  some  of  the  young 
birds,  but  I  am  afraid  we  cannot  save  them. 

Monday,  Marcli  14£A. 

The  storm  lasted  all  through  the  morning  of  Thursday, 
until  our  enclosure  looked  like  a  battle-field,  covered  with 
broken  branches,  crushed  fruit,  and  all  sorts  of  rubbish. 
12 


266  MARGUERITE   AT  BOTTRBOtf. 

But  our  neighbors  suffered  even  more,  for  the  roof  of  their 
house  was  carried  away,  and  as  it  had  only  one  story,  all 
the  rooms  were  exposed.  The  family  had  to  take  refuge 
in  the  negro-cabin,  where  they  were  terribly  crowded  and 
uncomfortable. 

As  soon  as  mamma  heard  of  their  condition,  she  was 
very  anxious  to  ask  them  under  our  roof,  but  when  she 
proposed  it  to  Mme.  Dumont  she  did  not  seem  at  all 
pleased  at  the  idea.  Mamma  looked  astonished  at  her 
nesitation,  when  Mme.  Dumont,  explained  that  they  were 
mulattoes,  and  as  she  had  never  had  any  intercourse  with 
Mme.  Aiidre,  she  did  not  wish  to  begin  now.  She  spoke 
so  decidedly  that  mamma  could  say  no  more,  but  1  ex 
claimed  : 

"  "Well,  at  least  we  can  send  them  umbrellas  to  protect 
them ! " 

Mme.  Dumont  did  not  look  pleased,  but  Marie  told  me 
to  be  quiet ;  and,  going  over  to  her  aunt,  had  a  little  talk, 
and  in  a  few  moments  Mme.  Dumont  consented  to  send 
for  Mme.  Andre.  The  poor  -lady  and  her  children  had 
the  greatest  trouble  in  getting  over  to  our  house  through 
the  storm,  but  she  seemed  very  grateful  for  our  protec 
tion. 

It  seemed  very  funny  to  see  the  children,  all  of  differ 
ent  colors,  for  some  of  them  were  quite  fair,  like  the 
mother,  and  others  like  the  father,  who  was  very  dark. 
There  is  a  great  prejudice  against  mulattoes  in  Bourbon. 
Mme.  Vintimil  told  -Mamma,  the  other  day,  that  the  mistress 
of  a  school  in  Saint  Denis  had  been  obliged  to  refuse  the 
care  of  a  little  orphan  girl,  who  was  brought  to  her  by  the 
child's  uncle,  tler^father  had  belonged  to  one  of  the  best 
families  in  Bourbon,  but  the  mother  was  a  mulatto ;  and  the 
school-mistress  found  she  should  lose  all  her  best  scholars 


MAKGUEKITE   AT   BOUKBON.  267 

if  she  took  the  little  orphan.  It  seems  to  me  a  very  un 
just  prejudice. 

"When  Mine.  Andre  left  us  in  the  evening,  as  her  husband 
had  f«imd  a  room  where  she  could  be  sheltered,  she  thanked 
both  Mine.  D  union  t  and  mamma  very  earnestly  for  the 
kindness  they  had  shown  her.  Mamma  told  her  we  should 
be  so  very  happy  to  see  her  after  the  storm  was  over,  but 
Mine.  Dumont  was  as  cold  and  stiff  as  ever. 

The  wind  fell  a  little  on  Thursday  evening,  but  came  up 
again  in  the  night,  and  raged  all  day  Friday  with  more  fury 
than  ever.  It  did  not  seem  as  if  the  house  could  stand. 

M.  Yintimil  and  M.  de  Yeilles  ventured  to  come  to  us 
several  times  during  those  two  days,  although  it  was  almost 
dangerous  to  be  out.  They  brought  us  sad  stories  of  the 
misfortunes  which  had  happened — houses  torn  down,  a 
bridge  carried  away  with  negroes  upon  it,  all  of  whom 
were  drowned ;  but  saddest  of  all,  a  vessel,  which  could 
not  keep  off  the  coast,  was  thrown  on  the  rocks,  crushed 
into  a  wreck,  and  several  sailors  were  lost.  It  made  our 
hearts  ache  to  hear  of  it  all. 

The  wind  fell  again  on  Friday  evening,  and  on  Saturday 
it  was  so  much  more  quiet  that  M.  Yintimil  and  M.  de 
Yeilles  came  to  ask  us  to  go  out  and  see  the  havoc  the  hurri 
cane  had  made.  Mamma  declined  going  herself,  saying 
the  sight  would  make  her  too  sad,  but  she  allowed  me  to 
g;o,  and  Mademoiselle  went  too  to  take  care  of  Jeanne 

c~>     '  • 

and  Berthe,'  who  could  not  bear  to  stay  at  home. 

I  had  been  in  the  house  so  long  that  I  was  very  glad  to 
get  out,  but  what  a  sight  it  was!  The  king's  garden, 
where  we  went  first,  was  utterly  destroyed — trees  torn  up, 
the  flower-beds  ruined.  The  alleys  were  all  choked  with 
branches,  and  the  ground  covered  with  a  mass  of  fruit, 
ripe  and  unripe,  crushed  and  spoiled. 


263  MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON. 

In  the  town  the  streets  could  not  be  recognized,  for  the 
trees  were  almost  all  destroyed,  and  many  of  the  houses 
were  much  injured.  Over  all  was  a  thick  carpet  of 
torn  leaves.  But  on  the  harbor  was  the  saddest  sight  of 
all.  The  waves  were  still  black  and  angry,  and  the  empty 
harbor,  with  no  vessel  to  be  seen  save  the  poor  wreck 
lying  on  its  side,  with  its  masts  buried  in  the  sea,  made 
one's  heart  sink.  I  thought  of  the  Isere,  and  how  we,  too, 
might  have  been  crushed  on  those  cruel  rocks ! 

The  gentlemen  took  us  at  last  to  a  point  where  we 
could  see  much  of  the  devastation  at  once,  but  the  houses 
surrounded  by  water,  the  trees  stripped  of  leaves  and 
branches,  made  so  distressing  a  sight  that  we  grew  pale 
and  sick,  and  Mademoiselle  said  we  had  seen  enough,  so 
we  hurried  home  to  describe  it  to  Marie  and  Stephanie. 

Tuesday,  March  29  ill. 

My  dearest  Marie  is  fourteen  years  old  to-day,  but 
anyone  would  say  she  was  fifteen,  she  is  so  tall  and  grave. 
She  is  quite  a  young  lady,  but  she  is  very  kind  to  all  of 
us  who  are  younger,  and  does  not  look  down  upon  us  at  all. 

Some  of  the  vessels  have  returned  since  the  storm,  and 
the  gentlemen  say  it  is  a  pitiable  sight  to  see  them,  with 
out  masts  or  boats,  as  if  they  had  come  from  a  great 
battle.  Several  of  the  ships  were  wrecked,  some  on  the  coast 
of  Madagascar  and  others  on  the  Island  of  Mauritius. 

o 

One  poor  vessel  foundered  at  sea,  and  the  wind  was  so 
violent  that  no  one  could  go  to  the  aid  of  the  crew,  so  all 
were  lost.  It  was  horrible  to  think  of  it!  One  young 
lady  was  lost  whom  we  had  seen  in  Saint  Denis.  She 
had  gone  witli  her  husband,  because  they  thought  there 
was  some  danger,  and  both  went  down  together.  How  it 
made  our  tears  fall  to  hear  of  these  disasters! 


MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON.  269 

Friday,  April  8th. 

Oh,  these  horrid  centipedes,  how  terribly  they  bite !  I 
know  now  how  painful  it  is,  for  I  have  had  quite  an  ad 
venture. 

One  evening  we  had  quite  a  number  of  visitors,  and, 
among  others,  Mine.  Louis  Yintimil,  who  had  brought  her 
.  little  Ida  to  see  us.  She  is  a  sweet  little  girl,  and,  while  I 
was  playing  with  her,  she  coaxed  me  to  sit  doVn  on  the 
floor  of  the  veranda.  I  said  no,  for  I  was  afraid  of  centi 
pedes,  but  she  repeated  "  Ida  wants  it,  Ida  wants  it " 
so  cunningly  that  I  sat  down.  I  had  forgotten  about  the 
centipedes,  when  suddenly  Berthe  cried  out: 

"  Oh,  look  on  Ida  !  look  on  Ida's  sleeve !  "  and  then  ran 
away  as  fast  as  she  could. 

I  looked  at  Ida  and  saw  an  enormous  centipede,  which 
just  then  ran  off  Ida's  sleeve  and  began  to  crawl  up  her 
arm.  The  poor  child  began  to  scream,  but  did  not  move, 
she  was  so  terrified.  I  was  dreadfully  frightened,  but  un 
fortunately  every  one  had  gone  into  the  parlor,  and  there 
was  no  one  to  help  Ida  but  myself.  There  was  not  a 
moment  to  be  lost,  for  the  creature  began  to  crawl  on  to 
her  neck,  so  I  tried  to  brush  it  off  with  my  hand,  but  I 
was  not  quick  enough,  and  it  caught  my  finger  and  bit 
me  so  terribly  that  I  could  hardly  shake  it  off.  I  screamed 
out  with  the  pain  and  ran  towards  the  parlor,  from  which 
in.  a  moment  every  one  rushed  to  meet  us.  Little  Ida  was 
almost  In  convulsions  from  fright,  and  altogether  there 
was  a  grand  hubbub. 

I  was  almost  wild  with  pain,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before 
my  finger  grew  any  better.  Mamma  very  kindly  took  me 
in  her  room  for  the  night,  as  I  could  not  sleep,  and  Marie 
sat  beside  me  and  comforted  me.  And  she  helped  me 
very  much,  for  when  my  pain  grew  very  bad,  as  my  hand 


270  MAKGTJBRITE   AT   BOURBON. 

and  arm  ached  and  swelled,  Marie  whispered  to  me  to  be 
brave,  and  submit  to  God's  will.  She  reminded  me  of  a 
conversation  we  had  had  with  Mademoiselle,  who  urged 
u  to  offer  to  God  each  and  every  pain  we  suffered,  whether 
great  or  small. 

At  first  the  pain  was  all  I  could  remember,  but  after  a 
time,  as  Marie  talked  in  her  gentle  voice,  a  great  quiet  came 
over  me,  and  although  the  twinges  of  pain  were  very  bad 
still,  I  could  bear  them  much  better.  It  did  not  seem 
much  to  offer  to  God  the  bite  of  a  centipede,  but  I  do  not 
think  He  would  despise  it. 

Yesterday  Mine.  Louis  Yintimil  came  very  kindly  to  ask 
after  me,  and  brought  little  Ida,  who  cried  when  she  saw 
rny  swollen  finger.  She  kissed  me,  and  was  so  sweet  that 
it  was  touching  to  see  her. 

I  have  been  reading  a  good  deal,  as  I  cannot  Tise  my 
hands.  I  have  been  very  much  interested  in  some  of  Miss 
Edgeworth's  stories,  and  it  helps  me  with  my  English  too. 

Mademoiselle  is  reading  to  us  from  Bossuet  now,  and 
very  delightful  it  is,  he  writes  so  simply  and  yet  so  beauti 
fully. 

Sunday,  April  I7t7i — Easter  Day. 

What  a  lovely  festival  Easter  is!  The  most  beautiful 
of  all  the  j'ear !  How  I  love  all  the  gayety  and  rejoicing 
after  the  mourning  and  sadness  of  Holy  Week. 

Marie  and  I  had  a  long  talk  about  many  such  things  as 
we  came  home  after  Mass  this  morning.  It  seems  to  me 
as  if  Marie  really  likes  the  sad  memories  of  Passion  Week 
better  than  the  rejoicing  of  Easter.  When  I  said  so  to  her, 
she  replied : 

"  Perhaps  it  is  so,  Marguerite,  and  yet  all  the  sufferings 
of  Our  Lord  would  be  no  comfort  to  me  without  the  Resur 
rection.  Still  I  think  that  where  we  love  very  much,  we 


MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON.  271 

are  even  more  willing  to  share  the  sufferings  than  the  joys 
of  those  we  love." 

"Ah,  yes,  Marie/' I  cried,  "and  you  understand  the 
sufferings  only  too  well,  when  you  are  so  ill  as  you  are 
sometimes ! " 

"  That  is  nothing  when  we  look  at  the  Cross,"  said  Marie, 
"  and  then  what  hope  it  gave  me  to-day  to  hear  the  preacher 
speak  of  the  empty  grave?"1 

"  Oh,  Marie,  do  you  still  have  those  sad  thoughts  ?  Pray, 
do  not  make  me  feel  so  sad  on  this  happy  festival ! " 

"  We  will  not  say  any  more  about  it,  Marguerite,  but  let 
us  go  and  speak  to  Marianne,  who  I  see  there  with  her 
school-friends." 

Last  evening  Marie  had  a  letter  from  Alberic,  who  spoke 
very  kindly  of  Gustave ;  I  am  so  glad  that  our  brothers  like 
each  other. 

Mine.  Dumont  has  sent  us  a  great  basket  of  splendid 
fruit,  oranges,  mandarins  and  lemons,  all  tied  up  in  great 
bouquets,  such  as  they  make  of  the  early  cherries  in  France. 

Thursday,  April  21st. 

Oh,  how  empty  the  house  seems  without  Marie  and 
Jeanne  !  I  can  hardly  forgive  M.  de  la  Caze  for  sending 
for  his  nieces  without  giving  us  more  warning.  lie  sent 
the  cabriolet  and  Sylvain  to-day  with  a  note  to  mamma, 
begging  her  to  allow  his  nieces  to  come  to  Badarnier  for 
three  or  four  days,  to  be  with  Marianne,  who  has  a  vacation. 
They  also  want  to  have  Marie's  little  baby,  Marguerite,  bap 
tized.  Mamma  did  not  like  to  let  Marie  and  Jeamie  go 
alone,  but  M.  de  la  Caze  had  been  kept  at  home  by  business, 
and  said  they  would  be  quite  safe  with  Sylvain.  Jeanne 
was  delighted  at  the  idea  of  seeing  the  plantation  again, 
_but  Marie  is  always  sad  when  she  bids  us  good-by. 


272  MARGUERITE   AT   BOTJKBON. 

Tuesday,  May  3d—  QuARTiEU- 

It  is  twelve  days  since  I  last  wrote  in  my  Journal,  and  I 
little  thought  at  that  time  what  a  shock  was  in  store  for 
us.  I  was  writing  in  the  school-room  by  the  open  window, 
thinking  all  the  time  of  Marie,  when  I  saw  a  negro  como 
running  into  the  enclosure.  He  said  something  hastily 
to  our  servants,  and  in  a  moment  I  heard  Idala  exclaim : 
"  It's  not  possible.  Mamzelle  Marie !  Mamzelle  Jeanne  I 
not  possible ! "  I  began  to  shake  all  over,  but  I  rushed 
down  stairs  in  a  moment,  and  stood  before  the  negro, 
who  I  now  remembered  to  have  seen  at  Mine.  Dumont's. 
Janvier  was  raising  Babet  from  the  ground,  for  she  had 
fainted.  I  must  have  looked  very  white,  for  Idala  cried 
out  when  she  saw  me : 

"  Oh,  Mamzelle  Marguerite,  you  must  not  die  too!  "  I 
tried  to  speak,  but  could  not ;  at  last  I  pointed  to  Babet, 
and  said :  • 

"What  ails  her!" 

"Oh,"  said  Idala,  "she  loved  her  little  mistresses  so." 

"  Idala,"  I  cried,  shaking  her  as  if  I  were  in  a  rage,  "  do 
not  tell  me  that  anything  has  happened  to  Marie ! "  She 
did  not  answer,  and  only  looked  at  me  in  a  frightened  way, 
when  suddenly  Mademoiselle  appeared.  I  staggered  to 
wards  her  and  fell  into  her  arms,  crying : 

"  Oh,  Mademoiselle,  help  me ;  they  want  to  tell  me  that 
Marie — "  and  sobs  choked  my  voice. 

Mademoiselle  put  her  arms  around  me  tenderly,  arid,  sit 
ting  down  on  a  bench  in  the  veranda,  comforted  me,  while 
she  urged  the  negro  to  tell  his  message. 

"  The  young  ladies  have  been  thrown  from  the  carriage," 
he  said,  "and  I  am  afraid  Mamzelle  Marie  will  soon  be 
dead." 

It  was  too  much ;  everything  grew  black  around  me,  and 


MARGUERITE  AT  BOURBON.  273 

I  heard  nothing  more.  "When  I  came  to  myself  I  was  in  the 
parlor  on  the  sofa,  and  Mademoiselle  was  bathing  my  fore 
head.  As  I  raised  myself  I  said : 

"  Oh,  Mademoiselle,  tell  'me  that  what  that  man  said  is 
not  true !  " 

"  Be  brave,  my  child,"  replied  Mademoiselle,  with  her 
eyes  full  of  tears. ;  "  Marie  needs  us  and  asks  for  us." 

"  Oh,  Mile.,  then  she  can  speak !  she  is  not  so  ill  as  I 
thought ! " 

"  Let  me  finish,  my  child ;  Jeanne  is  not  badly  hurt,  but 
Marie  lias  been  more  injured.  Mine.  Dumont  has  sent  for 
a  surgeon,  and  her  carriage  will  take  us  back  in  an  hour, 
if  we  can  go." 

"  Oh,  let  us  go,  let  us  go !  "  I  cried. 

"  But  are  you  strong  enough,  Marguerite  ?  Agitation 
would  do  Marie  great  harm,  and  you  could  not  see  her 
unless  you  could  control  yourself."  I  raised  myself  from 
the  sofa,  and,  wiping  my  eyes,  said  steadily  : 

"  See,  I  am  not  crying,  and  then  to  see  Marie  would  com 
fort  me  so  much !  " 

"Mademoiselle  kissed  me,  and  said: 

"  Now  I  will  go  to  your  mother.  What  news  I  have  to 
tell  her !  Fray  to  God  to  support  us  all,  Marguerite !  " 

After  Mademoiselle  had  gone,  I  tried  to  comfort  Babet, 
who  was  sobbing  in  a  corner  of  the  room.  At  first  she 
would  not  listen  to  me,  persisting  that  her  dear  little  mis 
tresses  were  to  die  before  her,  and  she  loved  them  so 
much,  more  even  than  her  own  sons..  At  last  she  grew 
more  quiet,  but  begged  me  most  earnestly  to  let  her  go 
with  us  to  see  Marie.  I  promised  I  would  ask  mamma. 

Notwithstanding  all  Mademoiselle's  care,  poor  mamma 
was  so  shocked  at  the  news  of  the  accident  that  she  was 
quite -ill.     Of  course  it  was  impossible  for  her  to  start  at 
12* 


274:  MAEGUEEITE   AT   BOUKBON. 

once,  indeed  she  felt  she  should  be  a  care  rather  than  an 
assistance.  So  she  begged  Mademoiselle  to  go,  and  take 
me  with  her,  since  I  felt  strong  enough.  She  would  join 
us  to-morrow,  and  she  bearded  that  Mine.  Dumont  would 

'  OO 

send  her  news  of  Marie  at  the  earliest  hour  possible  the 
next  day. 

So  we  started,  the  surgeon,  Mademoiselle,  Babet  and  I. 
What  a  journey  it  was !  Mademoiselle  was  very  silent,  Babet 
cried,  and  I  longed  to  drag  the  carriage  with  my  own 
hands.  As  we  turned  into  the  avenue  leading  to  Reunion 
(I  forgot  to  say  they  took  Marie  and  Jeanne  there,  as  the 
accident  happened  near  the  house),  my  heart  seemed  to 
grow  cold  and  faint.  • 

Mine.  Dumont  was  waiting  on  the  piazza  for  the  sur 
geon  ;  she  looked  very  grave,  and  I  ran  to  her,  crying : 

"  Is  he  too  late  ?    is  he  too  late  ? " 

"  No,"  she  said,  "  let  us  hope  not,"  and  she  led  the  surgeon 
towards  the  staircase.  My  heart  seemed  bursting,  and  I 
do  not  know  what  I  should  have  done  without  Mademoi 
selle.  She  led  me  into  the  parlor,  whispering : 

"  Courage,  my  child  !  be  brave  and  trust  in  God."  In  a 
inoment  Mrne.  Louis  Vintimil  came  to  us,  and  Made 
moiselle  begged  her  to  tell  us  how  the  accident  happened, 
promising  that  I  would  be  brave. 

Wednesday,  May  4th. 

Mine.  Yintimil  then  told  us  that  until  they  reached  the 
Ravine  des  Chevres  the  sisters  had  proceeded  very  safely. 
The  horse  had  seemed  very  restive  and  ugly,  but  Marie 
drove  very  well,  and  Sylvain  kept  close  to  them ;  Jeanne 
was  nervous,  but  Marie  was  quite  calm,  and  managed  the 
horse  nicely  until  they  reached  the  Ravine.  She  was  driv 
ing  slowly,,  as  it  was  a  rough  place,  when,  at  a  turn  of  the 
road,  they  came  upon  a  cart  with  one  mule  fallen  on  the 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  275 

side  of  the  road.  This  frightened  the  horse,  who  began  to 
gallop,  notwithstanding  all  Marie's  efforts  to  stop  him. 
Sylvain  ran  after  the  cabriolet,  and  Jeanne  screamed,  "  Stop 
us !  stop  us !"  which  only  made  the  horse  go  faster.  At  this 
moment  a  drove  of  beeves  came  npon  the  bridge  directly 
in  front  of  the  horse,  which  would  have  to  pass  through 
them ;  the  horse  began  to  rear  frantically,  which  was  horri 
ble  on  such  a  narrow,  high  bridge. 

Jeanne  cried,  "  Jump,  Marie,  jump  !  "  and  before  Marie 
could  prevent  her,  she  was  out  of  the  cabriolet  with  a  bound. 
Marie  thought  she  must  be  killed,  and  was  about  to  follow 
her,  when  the  horse  went  off  like  a  flash ;  he  was  wild  with 
fright.  Marie  thought  only  of  Jeanne,  and,  dropping  the 
reins,  jumped  from  the  cabriolet,  which  was  now  dashing 
over  the  road,  making  it  much  worse  for  her.  She  fell 
violently  to  the  ground,  and  then  rolled  to  the  bottom  of  a 
little  ravine  which  was  full  of  stones.  When  they  found 
her,  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later,  she  was  unconscious  and 
covered  with  blood ! 

Jeanne  also  fell  in  jumping  from  the  cabriolet,  and, 
striking  her  head  against  a  stone,  was  stunned  for  a  few 
moments.  But  she  came  to  herself  by  the  time  the  ne 
groes,  who  were  driving  the  beeves,  and  Sylvain  reached 
her,  and  she  begged  them  at  once  to  follow  poor  Marie.  She 
was  so  shaken  by  her  fall  that  she  could  not  stand,  and  I 
hardly  know  what  would  have  become  of  the  poor  girl  if  M. 
and  Mine.  Villiers  had  not  passed  at  that  moment.  They 
took  Jeanne  at  once  into  their  carriage,  and  then  followed^ 
the  negroes  who  were  searching  for  Marie. 

When  poor  Sylvain  and  the  other  negroes  brought  Marie, 
bruised,  bleeding,  and  apparently  dead,  to  the  carriage,  I 
can  hardly  bear  to  think  how  Jeanne  must  have  felt. 

They  brought   her  at  once  to    Ke  union,  where  Mine. 


276  MAEGUERITE   AT   BOUKBON. 

Diiinon't,  although  terribly  shocked,  was  calm  and  collected, 
and  did  all  she  could  to  restore  Marie.  After  a  time  she 
came  to  herself  and  asked  for  Jeanne,  but  she  was  so 
dreadfully  weak  and  prostrated,  that  they  expected  every 
moment  would  be  her  last.  After  a  time  Marie  rallied 
enough  to  understand  how  ill  she  was.  but  she  was  very 
calm,  asking  only  to  see  a  priest,  and  that  they  would  let 
her  uncle  know  of  the  accident,  as  well  as  ourselves,  whom 
she  "  would  like  to  see  once  more,  if  possible."  This  was 
the  sad  story,  and  how  many  tears  fell  while  we  were  listen 
ing  to  it ! 

I  began  to  be  so  impatient  to  hear  something  of  my 
dearest  Marie,  for  the  surgeon  remained  for  hours  shut  up 
in  her  room.  At  last  M.  de  la  Caze  came  to  speak  to  us.  He 
looked  very  pale  and  agitated,  but  said  that  M.  Lebel,  the 
surgeon,  spoke  hopefully  of  Marie  ;  she  suffered  terribly, 
however,  for  she  was  covered  with  wounds  and  bruises,  and 
had  one  arm  broken.  At  this  news  I  cried  out,  and  M. 
de  la  Caze  put  his  hand  on  my  shoulder,  saying  : 

"  She  begs  to  see  you,  my  child,  but  you  must  be  calm, 
or  I  shall  never  dare —  " 

"  Oh,  Monsieur,  I  will  be  calm,  I  assure  you,  when  I  am 
with  her." 

"  The  broken  arm  is  not  a  serious  injury,"  continued  M. 
de  la  Caze  ;  "  but  what  makes  me  most  anxious,"  he  added 
in  a  low  voice,  "  is  the  shock,  with  her  trouble  of  the  heart" 
This  then  was  what  we  had  to  dread  ;  how  my  heart  swelled 
as  I  thought  of  it ! 

As  soon  as  the  surgeon  had  set  the  arm,  he  gave  Marie 
a  soothing  draught,  and  urged  her  to  try  and  sleep.  But 
she  said  she  could  not  do  so  until  she  had  seen  us,  for  she 
had  heard  that  Mademoiselle  and  I  wrere  in  the  house. 

I  shall  never  forget  how  my  poor  Marie  looked,  lying 


MARGUERITE   AT  BOUKBON.  -  277" 

on  the  bed,  weak  as  a  child,  and  her  face,  which  was  as 
white  as  the  pillow,  surrounded  by  a  cloud  of  her  beautiful 
hair.  Mademoiselle  bent  over  her,  and,  kissing  her  fore 
head,  whispered  how  we  thanked  her  for  sending  for  us ; 
but  when  I  stood  beside  her  I  could  only  say :  • 

"  Oh,  my  sister !  "  for  my  voice  would  choke  with  sobs. 
Marie's  sweet  eyes  looked  at  me  lovingly  and  encourag 
ingly,  and  she  said  very,  very  feebly : 

"  Mine.  Guyon  ?  " 

"  She  will  come  to-morrow,"  replied  Mademoiselle;  "  she 
was  too  much  agitated  to-day." 

"  Oh,  I  shall  injure  her,"  said  Marie  sadly. 

"  Do  not  talk,  Marie,"  said  Mine.  Dumont ;  "  you  must  try 
now  to  be  quiet,  and  we  will  leave  you." 

Poor  Jeanne  was  asleep,  with  Babet  beside  her,  so  rejoiced 
to  watch  over  her  young  mistress.  Marie  desired  it,  so 
they  allowed  Mademoiselle  and  me  to  sit  with  her,  while 
she  composed  herself  to  sleep.  Sad  as  it  was  to  see  my 
dearest  Marie  in  such  a  state,  what  a  comfort  it  was  to  sit 
by  her  and  nurse  her ! 

Friday,  May  6th. 

I  could  not  write  yesterday,  for  I  was  absolutely  left  in 
charge  of  Marie.  Mme.  Dumont  insisted  upon  taking 
mamma  and  Mademoiselle  to  see  Mme.  de  la  Gaze,  so  I  was 
left  alone  with  Marie,  who  grows  better  daily. 

I  forgot  to  say  that  mamma  came  to  Reunion  the 
day  after  the  accident,  M.  Yintimil  having  most  kindly 
made  all  the  arrangements  for  the  carriage  and  other 
matters.  That  kind  Mme.  Dumont  insisted  upon  taking 
mamma  with  Stephanie  and  Berthe  into  her  house,  although 
she  had  already  with  her  M.  and  Mine,  de  la  Gaze  with 
their  children. 

How  kind  the  Creoles  are  !     Mamma  cannot  say  enough 


278  MARGTJEKTTE   AT   BOURBON. 

of  what  she  calls  their  "  patriarchal  hospitality."  If  the 
cause  of  our  being  here  were  not  so  sad,  we  should  all  be  so 
happy  here,  in  this  beautiful  house,  with  all  these  kind 
people.  I  hope  when  they  are  able  to  move  Marie  to 
Badamier,  that  M.  de  la  Caze  will  invite  us  there,  for  it 
:  would  break  my  heart  to  leave  Marie  now. 

Mamma  is  delighted  with  Badamier  too ;  she  says  it  is 
BO  quiet  and  peaceful.  I  am  sure  that  if  mamma  could 
live  in  such  a  place  with  papa  and  all  of  us,  that  she  would 
soon  grow- stronger  and  better.  Even  now,  after  this  second 
shock,  she  begins  to  -look  better,  and  has  more  color  in 
her  pale  cheeks.  Stephanie  and  Berthe  are  as  happy  and 
well  as  possible,  out  all  day  long,  with  plenty  to  amuse 
and  interest  them.  As  for  me,  I  would  never  leave  Marie, 
if  mamma  did  not  make  me  go  out  sometimes  for  exercise. 
I  asked  Marie  the  other  day  if  she  thought  she  would  be 
killed  when  she  jumped  from  the  cabriolet,  and  how  she 
felt.  She  said  at  first  she  thought  only  of  Jeanne,  but  as 
she  was  falling  over  those  rough  stones,  which  hurt  and 
bruised  her  so  terribly,  she  cried :  "  O  God,  have  mercy 
-upon  me  ! "  Then  she  asked  me  to  tell  her  how  we  had 
first  heard  of  the  accident,  and  when  she  saw  by  my 
trembling  voice  and  the  tears  I  could  not  keep  back  how 
much  I  had  suffered,  she  stretched  out  her  left  hand  (the 
right  she  cannot  move  yet)  and  holding  mine,  said : 

"  Oh,  Marguerite,  how  happy  I  am  in  your  love  !  and 
yet —  "  The  tears  came  into  her  eyes,  and  I  asked  quickly : 

"  What  is  it,  Marie  ?  " 

"  It  troubles  me  to  think  what  would  have  become  of 
you,  if  I  had  been  killed." 

"  But,  Marie,  why  should  you  trouble  yourself  about  such 
terrible  things,  since  God  has  been  so  good  as  to  cure  you  ?  " 
She  smiled  sadly,  and  said : 


MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON.  279 

"  Let  ns  always  love  each  other,  Marguerite,  but  let  us 
love  the  Friend  who  can  comfort  us  above  all  else." 

"  Oh,  Marie,  do  I  not  love  Him  since  He  has  brought 
you  to  life  again  ? "  And  thon  I  would  not  let  her  talk 
any  more,  since  I  was  her  nurse,  and  must  see  that  she  did 
not  get  tired. 

Sunday,  May  8th. 

This  morning  Mme.  Dumont  took  mamma,  Mademoi 
selle,  Jeanne  and  me  to  Mass  at  Sainte  Suzanne.  Oh,  how 
earnestly  we  thanked  God  for  having  saved  Marie,  and 
prayed  to  Him  to  cure  her  completely ! 

The  church  at  Sainte  Suzanne  is  very  simple,  even  poor 
looking,  but  1  liked  it.  It  stands  surrounded  by  beautiful 
trees,  and  looking  down  upon  the  sea. 

Nearly  opposite  the  church  there  is  a  large  fine  house, 
which  Mine.  Dumont  says  belongs  to  a  French  lady,  who 
has  opened  a  boarding-school.  She  lost  her  husband  in 
France,  and  being  left  with  but  little  property  and  four 
little  girls,  she  came  out  to  Bourbon,  where  she  has  a  sis 
ter  living,  and  hopes  to  support  herself  by  means  of  teach 
ing.  We  saw  her  at  the  church  with  her  four  little  girls, 
all  in  mourning,  and  some  of  her  scholars. 

The  sugar-cane  is  in  blossom  now,  and  is  so  very  pretty. 
I  have  never  seen  the  blossoms  until  now. 


Monday,  May  23d—  CHAMP-BORNE. 

Here  we  are  very  happy  at  Badamier,  although  we  shall 
never  forget  Mme.  Dumont's  kindness  to  us  all.  It  is  a 
month  since  the  accident  happened,  and  Marie  has  gained 
strength  much  faster  than  any  one  thought  she  could.  She 
still  has  her  palpitations,  and  suffers  a  good  deal;  when  I 
think,  too,  of  her  as  she  was  before  the  accident,  I  see  how 


280  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

changed  she  is !  Very  weak  and  thin,  but  then  how  much 
she  has  had  to  bear  ! 

The  journey  from  Reunion  did  not  fatigue  her  very 
much,  but  she  is  so  patient  and  brave,  that  it  is  not  easy  to 
tell  how  ill  she  feels.  She  stayed  in  bed  all  day  yesterday, 
but  to-day  the  air  was  so  delightful  that  M.  de  la  Gaze 
wanted  her  to  breathe  it  out-doors.  So  he  had  a  lounge 
put  under  one  of  the  great  trees  for  her,  and  I  have  been 
sitting  beside  her. 

How  happy  it  has  made  me  to  see  my  dear  sister  once 
more  in  the  open  air,  and  to  think  that  we  may  soon  be 
able  to  study  and  work  together  again.  Marie  too  has  en 
joyed  the  pure  air,  the  lovely  blue  sky,  the  smiling  aspect 
of  everything  around  her.  After  a  few  moments  she  said 
she  would  like  to  try  and  walk  a  little,  so,  with  the  help  of 
my  arm,  she  went  slowly  down  the  avenue  to  one  of  our 
favorite  spots,  close  to  the  little  brook  we  both  love  so 
much.  Marie  thought  she  would  like  to  rest  here,  so  I 
had  the  couch  brought  down  for  her,  and  I  established 
myself  on  a  rock  at  her  feet. 

As  Marie  looked  around  her  with  such  a  contented  smile, 
she  said  : 

"  O  Marguerite,  do  you  not  feel  how  God  is  here,  in 
the  midst  of  all  this  sweetness  ?  Marguerite,  do  you  think 
you  love  Him  as  you  ought  ? " 

"  Not  as  much  as  I  ought,  Marie,  but  still  very  much.  " 

"  If  you  only  knew,  Marguerite,  how  I  pray  every  day 
that  you  may  learn  what  I  have  learned,  that  it  is  He  that 
we  should  love  beyond  and  above  all  others. " 

"  Then,  Marie,  you  love  Him  more  than  you  love 
me?" 

"  Oh  yes,  my  sister ;  but  after  Him  there  is  no  one  so 
dear  to  me,  I  believe,  as  you  are.  " 


MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON.  281 

"  That  satisfies  me,  Marie, "  I  said,  kissing  her.  "  I  could 
not  ask  for  anything  more. "  After  a  pause,  Marie  said : 

"  Marguerite,  I  love  you  so  dearly  that  I  wish  you  would 
let.  me  talk  to  you  from  my  heart.  " 

•'And  why  not,  Marie?" 

"  Because  you  have  not  the  courage  to  hear  what  I  want 
to  say,  dear  Marguerite ;  you  are  only  preparing  more 
unhappiness  for  yourself  by  refusing  to  see-my  state  and 
the  sorrow  before  you.  " 

"  But,  Marie,"!  said  a  little  impatiently,  "  why  should  we 
think  of  such  things,  now  that  God  has  been  good  enough 
to  cure  you  ? " 

"  I  am  very  grateful,  Marguerite,  that  lie  has  given  us 
more  time,  but  I  feel  and  know  that  we  ought  to  be  pre 
pared.  If  you  will  not  think  of  what  may  happen,  you  re- 
fuse  the  grace  which  God  will  give  you  to  bear  our  sepa 
ration.  " 

"  Well,  Marie,"  I  said,  "  tell  me  what  you  want  to  say,  but 
it  breaks  my  heart — "  and  I  burst  into  tears. 

Marie  put  her  arms  around  me  and  whispered  : 

"  Do  you  think  it  is  only  for  my  own  satisfaction  that 
I  want  to  speak  of  what  is  so  painful  to  you  ?  No,  it  is  for 
you,  Marguerite,  for  it  frightens  me  to  see  how  much  you 
love  me.  If  our  friendship,  which  is  so  sweet,  should  only 
prove  in  the  future  a  sorrow  to  you — "  aiid  here  Marie's  tears 
fell  too  fast  for  her  to  continue. 

>  "  No,  Marie,"  I  cried,  "  do  not  be  uneasy  about  me. 
Teach  me  only  to  love  God  as  you  do  above  all  else,  and 
then  perhaps  lie  will  save  you  if  lie  is  satisfied  with  me. " 
Marie  smiled  and  said  : 

"  Thank  you,  Marguerite.  Now  we  can  speak  plainly, 
and  it  will  be  good  for  both  of  us,  will  it  not  ? " 

As  I  was  about  to  reply,  I  started,  for  M.  de  la  Caze 


282  MARGUERITE  AT  BOURBON. 

stood  behind  us.  I  do  not  know  how  much  he  had  heard, 
but  he  looked  agitated,  and  speaking  tenderly  to  Marie, 
told  her  she  was  fatiguing  herself  too  much  and  must  go  in. 

As  we  entered  the  house  we  met  old  Barabbe,  who  was 
delighted  to  see  Marie  again,  although  shocked  to  find  her 
so  changed.  Little  Helena  seems  to  be  devoted  in  her . 
kindness  to  the  poor  old  man. 

Mademoiselle  calls  me  for  my  catechism,  to  which  now  I 
give  more  attention  than  ever  since  the  time  for  my  first 
communion  is  so  near. 

Friday,  May  27th. 

-We  had  yesterday  a  great  surprise,  and  a  great  pleasure  ! 
I  was  reading  to  Marie  after  breakfast,  and  the  children 
were  playing  in  the  dining-room,  when  little  Pierre  an 
nounced  that  some  one  was  coming  in  a  carriage.  They 
all  ran  to  the  window  to  see,  and  soon  began  a  discussion 
as  to  who  it  could  be. 

•Jeanne  said  it  was  a  cabriolet  with  something  black  in 
it. 

"  No,"  said  Berthe,  "  something  blue." 

"  Hush,"  said  Stephanie,  "  it  does  not  matter  ;  do  not 
quarrel  about  it,  we  shall  soon  see." 

"  Oh  !  "  cried  Jeanne  at  last,  "  we  are  both  right ;  it  is  a 
blue  dress  and  a  black  veil,  and  it  is  a  sister."  As  I  heard 
this,  I  exclaimed : 

"  Can  it  be  one  of  our  sisters  on  the  Isere  ? "  and  I  ran 
to  the  window. 

At  this  moment  th"e  cabriolet  stopped,  and  I  saw  it  was 
dear  good  Sister  Alexis.  How  joyfully  I  ran  to  meet  her, 
and  she  too  seemed  happy  to  see  us  again.  She  had  heard 
of  Marie's  accident,  and  that  we  were  all  at  Champ-Borne, 
BO,  as  she  was  living  quite  near  us,  she  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  come  to  us.  How  it  agitated  poor  mamma 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  283 

to  see  Sister  Alexis  and  talk  to  her  of  the  ship  and  her 
dear  baby.  But  it  did  her  good  too,  for  Sister  Alexis  said 
so  much  that  was  comforting  to  her. 

We  were  very  sorry  to  have  several  visitors  while  the 
sister  was  with  ns,  for  we  should  have  enjoyed  more  to  see 
her  alone.  Some  of  the  ladies  were  talking  about  France, 
and  one  said : 

"It  is  only  in  Paris  that  one  can  enjoy  life ;  to  live  here 
in  Bourbon  is  to  vegetate." 

"  You  are  right,"  cried  a  young  lady,  looking  around  her 
scornfully,  which  was  not  very  polite  to  Mine,  de  la  Gaze ; 
"  how  miserable  our  houses  must  look  to  Europeans,  and 
what  a  monotonous  life  we  must  seem  to  lead  !  " 

"  You  are  mistaken,  .  Mademoiselle,"  said  mamma ; 
"  Parisians  know  how  to  appreciate,  I  trust,  what  is  good 
and  noble  ;  and  to  many  of  them  this  simple,  hearty  hospi 
tality  and  these  united  households  would  seem  far  beyond 
the  gay,  frivolous  life  of  a  great  city." 

"  Oh  Mine.,"  said  one  of  the  gentlemen,  "  you  forget 
the  pleasures  of  wit  and  intelligence,  and  yet  you  are  so 
fitted  to  understand  them  ! "  They  all  said  a  great  deal 
mora-  to  prove  that  Paris  was  everything  delightful,  and 
Bourbon  only  dull  endurance. 

After  they  went  away,  M.  de  la  Gaze  remarked  how 
strange  it  was  that  all  Creoles  sighed  for  France,  thinking 
it  the  only  place  to  live  in,  and  yet  few  went  to  Paris  who 
did  not  after  a  time  regret  their  little  island,  and  feel  glad 
to  return. 

Sister  Alexis  left  us  only  too  soon,  but  'we  shall  certain 
ly  go  to  see  her  before  we  go  back  to  Saint  Denis. 

I  am  going  to  walk  with  the  children  while  mamma  is 
with  Marie.  I  like  very  much  to  watch  the  coffee  gather 
ing,  which  is  going  on  now.  They,  spread  the  grains  oir 


284:  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

great  platform  before  the  store-house  to  dry  them,  which 
unfortunately  turns  their  fine  red  color  into  brown.  Every 
night  they  put  them  in  a  heap,  and  cover  them  with  mats, 
the  next  day  they  are  spread  again,  until  quite  dry. 


Saturday,  June  18th — SAINT  DENIS. 

Everything  is  in  confusion  in  the  house,  for  we  are  all 
preparing  for  the  grand  festival  to-morrow,  and  as  the 
archbishop  is  to  pass  our  gate  and  give  us  the  benediction, 
we  have  to  arrange  an  altar. '  We  are  almost  smothered  in 
flowers,  for  Mine.  D union t,  Mine.  Villiers  and  M.  de  la 
Gaze  have  sent  us  huge  baskets  full  of  flowers,  and  great 
palm  and  cocoa-nut  branches.  M.  de  Yintimil  and  M.  de 
Veilles  are  at  work  in  our  enclosure,  which  looks  beauti 
fully  with  all  the  green  and  the  lovely  wreaths  which 
Marie  has  made.  She  cannot  run  about  like  the  rest  of  us, 
so  she  lies  on  the  couch  in  the  veranda,  while  I  bring  her 
flowers,  thread  and  scissors  as  she  needs  them.  Mamma 
and  Mademoiselle,  assisted  by  Mme.  Vintimil,  are  arrang 
ing  the  altar. 

The  children  are  flying  around  everywhere,  delighted 
with  the  confusion  and  disorder.  This  festival  makes  me 
think  of  the  triumphal  march  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
when  he  entered  Jerusalem,  and  the  Jews  strewed  palm- 
branches  before  Him  with  songs  of  praise.  And  yet  how 
soon  they  changed  their  praise  into  abuse  and  insult.  It 
is  dreadful  to  think  of  it !  But  we  serve  and  praise  Him 
always. 

Monday,  June  20th. 

What  a  pity  that  yesterday  has  passed  already !  We 
had  a  lovely  morning,  the  altar  was  all  ready,  and  was 


MARGUERITE   AT  EOUEBON.  285 

beautiful.  How  graceful  the  palm-branches  are  !  We 
put  them  on  each  side  of  the  altar,  and  the  effect  was 
beautiful  with  the  drooping  vines  and  wreaths  of  bright 
flowers.  Marie  and  Babet  kept  the  children,  while  mamma 
and  Mademoiselle  took  Jeanne  and  me  to  the  church. 

What  a  fine  sight  it  was  when  we  reached  the  open 
square,  crowded  with  persons  waiting  to  join  the  proces 
sion  !  There  were  several  schools,  with  the  pupils  all  in 
white,  with  colored  sashes.  I  could  see  both  Marianne  and 
Adele  looking  very  serious,  and  I  tried  to  be  so  also,  but 
the  bustle  and  noise  distracted  me  very  much.  But  all  at 
once,  when  the  priests  appeared  everything  was  quieted. 
The  archbishop,  who  was  under  the  dais,  elevated  the  Host, 
and  every  one  fell  on  his  knees.  The  procession  then 
started,  singing  chants  as  they  passed  from  one  street  to 
another.  It  seems  that  this  procession  passes  one  year 
through  the  lower  part  of  the  town  along  the  shore,  and 
the  next  year,  through  the  upper  streets  and  over  the 
heights.  This  year  it  was  to  take  the  lower  part  of  the 
town,  and  our  house  was  the  most  distant  point  it  would 
reach  before  turning  back  to  the  church. 

Poor  mamma  was  much  agitated  as  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  sea,  which  brought,  of  course,  many  thoughts  of  papa 
and  poor  baby.  The  music  too  was  beautiful,  partly  mil 
itary,  as  if  we  had  been  God's  army ;  and  then  what  an  im 
posing  sight  it  was,  as  the  great  harbor  lay  before  us  stud 
ded  with  vessels,  while  the  long  procession  wound  along, 
with  fluttering  banners,  and  the  forts  saluted  with  their 
loud,  strong  voices.  Oh,  how  beautiful  and  how  striking 
it  was ! 

From  time  to  time  we  came  to  the  different  stations, 
when  the  archbishop  pronounced  the  benediction.  How 
delightful  it  was  when  we  reached  our  station,  and  as 


286  MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON. 

the  archbishop  stood  amongst  the  flowers,  I  felt  that  God 
was  really  blessing  us  and  all  we  loved. 

Wednesday,  June  2Qth. 

Yesterday  was  a  very  sad  day  !  We  had  a  mail  from 
France,  which  brought  us  letters  from  poor  Gustave,  after 
he  had  heard  the  terrible  news  about  dear  baby.  Mamma 
made  herself  ill,  for  she  shed  so  many  tears.  Indeed  it 
Beemed  to  bring  our  grief  all  back  to  us,  and  it  was  as  if 
we  had  just  lost  the  dear  little  love.  Poor  Gustave,  he 
says  he  can  hardly  believe  it.  M.  Guer  told  him  the  news, 
but  he  feels  as  if  there  must  be  some  mistake,  that  he  must 
be  dreaming.  I  understand  that  so  well,  for  I  felt  so  my 
self  for  a  long  time.  Gustave  feels  very  anxious  about 
mamma,  and  begs  us  all,  but  me  in  particular,  to  send 
him  news  of  her.  I  have  written  already,  but  I  shall 
write  soon  again,  for  I  know  if  I  were  in  Gustave's  place 
I  should  be  so  troubled  about  mamma. 

We  had  kind  letters  from  many  of  our  friends,  but  the 
most  beaxitiful  was  from  M.  P Abbe  Martin.  How  kindly 
and  consolingly  he  wrote.  I  had  a  letter  from  Clara,  who 
seems  very  sorry  for  our  loss,  and  indeed  I  always  knew 
she  had  a  kind  heart.  But  I  was  surprised  to  see  her  letter 
so  badly  written,  and  with  so  many  faults.  I  should  be 
sorry  to  be  rich,  if  it  made  me  so  ignorant. 

Marie  and  Jeanne  had  letters  from  Alberic.  What  a 
good  brother  he  is  !  And  so  is  Gustave,  for  he  writes  to 
me  so  tenderly,  and  seems  to  have  forgotten  all  my  bad 
temper. 

Saturday,  July  Wth. 

How  quickly  the  time  passes,  although  the  days  seem  to 
me  so  long!  Here  we  have  come  to  the  week  of  the  Retreat, 
and  then  my  first  communion!  How  earnestly  I  have 


MAKGUEKITE   AT    BOUKBON.  287 

longed  for  it,  how  truly  I  have  prayed  to  be  fitted  for  it ! 
I  feel  so  happy,  I  can  only  say  over  and  over  again  in  my 
heart,  "  Thanks,  thanks,  O  my  God." 

He  has  indeed  been  very  good  to  me,  as  Marie  says.  Ho 
has  given  me  a  mother  such  as  few  children  have,  then 
my  dear  Mademoiselle,  who  is  always  trying  to  make  me 
better,  and  also  my  dearest  sister  Marie,  who  is  like  no 
one  else  in  the  world.  I  believe  I  know  that  I  am  grate 
ful  for  it  all.  And  now  God  has  sent  these  good  mission 
aries,  wrho  can  preach  to  us  during  the  Retreat.  One  of 
them,  M.  Laly,  is  very  eloquent,  and  all  his  companions 
look  up  to  him,  although  he  is  the  youngest.  The  mis 
sionaries  are  on  their  way  to  Japan,  and  what  noble  men 
they  are !  It  makes  my  heart  beat  to  think  how  much 
they  give  up  ;  and  they  are  going  perhaps  to  martyrdom, 
and  all  for  the  sake  of  Our  Lord ! 

The  captain  of  the  vessel  who  brought  the  missionaries 
came  to  see  mamma,  as  he  had  brought  her  a  letter  from 
Uncle  Henry.  The  captain  spoke  of  these  priests  as 
"  heroic  men,"  and  said  every  one  on  the  ship  respected  and 
admired  them. 

Marie  will  follow  the  Retreat,  as  she  and  Jeanne  want  to 
renew  their  first  communion  with  me. 

To-morrow  I  shall  make  my  general  confession.  I  pray 
that  God  may  see  how  earnestly  I  repent  of  all  my  sins, 
and  how  much  I  want  to  correct  them  !  May  He  give  me 
His  grace  to  purify  me,  and  make  me  at  least  good  as 
Marie  is  good. 

FIRST  DAY  OF  THE  RETREAT,  Monday,  July  18t7i. 

Our  Retreat  began  last  evening  after  vespers.  Mad 
emoiselle  allows  me  to  continue  my  journal,  for  she  knows 
that  I  shall  only  write  of  holy  things,  since  my  mind  ia 
now  so  full  of  them. 


288  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

Yesterday  after  vespers  our  places  were  given  to  us,  and 
then  M.  Laly  gave  us  a  lecture  ;  I  can  hardly  believe  how 
happy  I  am,  and  yet  I  am  afraid  M.  Laly  said  much,  how 
ever,  to  encourage  us.  lie  said  God  knew  just  how  poor 
we  were,  how  full  of  faults,  but  He  came  to  us  all  the  same 
to  give  us  all  we  needed,  and  to  fill  our  hearts  full  of 
grace  and  love.  He  comes  to  us  holding  out  His  hands 
and  calling  us  ;  all  we  need  to  do  is  to  throw  ourselves  at 
His  feet  and  say  humbly,  "My  Father,  I  have  sinned." 

I  shall  never  forget  all  his  beautiful  words,  but  I  wish 
I  could  describe  his  voice  and  the  look  which  lie  seems  to 
Bend  right  into  our  hearts. 

This  morning  M.  Laly  preached  upon  Death.  He  told 
us  we  ought  to  begin  at  once  to  prepare  for  it,  for  even 
young  as  we  were,  it  might  come  to  us  at  any  moment. 
He  said,  too,  how  wicked  and  foolish  it  was  for  us  to  be  so 
afraid  of  it.  We  were  walking  towards  it  every  day,  and 
yet  we  closed  our  eyes  and  would  not  see  what  was  before 
us.  And  then  when  the  time  came  for  us  to  die,  we 
were  shocked  and  startled  as  if  we  had  met  an  enemy  in 
stead  of  the  kind  friend  who  might  lead  us  to  Our  Lord. 

As  he  spoke  of  the  happiness  of  dying,  I  thought  of  my 
dear  Marie,  and  my  tears  fell  fast.  She  was  not  near  me, 
as  she  sits  with  those  who  have  made  their  first  communion. 
I  am  with  the  Sisters'  scholars,  and  next  to  Adele,  to  whom 
I  try  to  be  as  kind  as  possible.  She  is  very  gentle,  and 
seems  very  much  improved. 

We  shall  go  to  church  twice  a  day  during  the  three 
days  of  Retreat.  Mine.  Yilliers  has  kindly  lent  mamma 
her  carriage  for  a  week,  so  that  she  will  not  have  too  much 
fatigue. 

SECOND  DAY  OP  THE  RETREAT,  Tuesday,  July  Wth. 

Yesterday  evening  our  lecture  was  on  the  Judgment. 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  289 

It  seemed  to  me  as  if  we  had  really  come  to  that  terrible 
day,  when  God  will  ask  us  to  give  account  of  all  the  good 
and  evil  we  have  done.  I  wish  1  could  write  down  all 
that  M.  Laly  said,  but  I  should  never  have  the  time. 
Marie  is  taking  notes,  however,  and  she  promises  to  let  me 
copy  from  them  by-and-by. 

M.  FAbbe  Morni  has  told  us  how  we  should  act,  with 
order  and  quiet,  on  the  day  of  our  first  communion,  lie 
asked  the  young  girls  to  dress  as  simply  as  possible,  and 
also  alike,  since  there  would  be  no  distinction  of  rich  and 
poor  before  the  altar ;  we  should  all  stand  there  as  sisters. 
My  dress  will  be  very  plain — white  muslin,  with  a 'veil  of 
the  same,  a  wreath  of  fresh  white  roses,  and  a  bouquet  at 
the  waist.  These  flowers  will  be  placed  on  the  altar  after 
wards. 

Wednesday,  July  20th. 

I  shall  not  write  much  to-day,  for  I  feel  too  much  ex 
cited  and  moved.  Mademoiselle  urges  me  to  calm  myself, 
and  thinks  my  Journal  will  do  me  good. 

Yesterday  evening  the  holy  missionary,  as  he  is  called, 
preached  to  us  on  Penitence,  and  this  morning  on  the 
Eucharist.  To-night  we  shall  not  have  a  lecture,  as  we 
go  to  confession.  Indeed  we  ought  not  to  need  one,  as  we 
have  already  heard  so  much  of  which  we  can  think  con 
stantly.  How  my  heart  turns  to  God,  and  how  earnestly 
I  desire  to  feel  that  He  is  near  me,  ready  to  hear  all  my 
prayers  and  grant  my  petitions  !  How  beautiful  to  feel 
that  He  is  Our  Father,  always  forgiving,  kind  and 
patient! 

How  I  wish  that  my  own  dear  papa  were  here,  that  I 
mio-ht  beg  him  to  forgive  me  for  all  the  wrong  I  have  ever 
done  to  him.     I  shall  write  to  him  to-night,  and  I  pray, 
too,  for  him,  for  Gustave,  and  for  all  I  love. 
13 


290  MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON. 


THE   DAT   OF   MY   FIRST   COMMUNION,  AND    THB    HAPPIEST  OP  MY   LIFB. 

I  shall  only  write  a  word,  as  -we  are  about  to  start  for  the 
cemetery,  and  go  from  there  to  the  church.  But  I  must 
put  down  one  word  to  mark  this  day,  the  most  beautiful  in 
my  life.  I  am  so  happy,  so  very  happy,  I  feel  as  if  in 
heaven  there  could  be  no  greater  happiness.  I  cry,  but  I 
am  happy  ;  I  cannot  say  much  ;  I  can  hardly  pray,  but  in 
my  heart  I  am  talking  to  God  continually.  I  must  stop  ; 
I  will  tell  the  details  of  this  happy  day  another  time. 
Now  I  go  to  be  confirmed. 

Saturday,  July  23d  ' 

It  is  two  days  since  my  first  communion.  How  I  wish  I 
could  bring  it  back!  But,  alas!  it  mus't  always  remain  be 
hind  me. 

I  will  go  back  to  Wednesday,  the  day  of  confession.  After 
I  had  finished  my  Journal,  Mademoiselle  read  to  us  a  chap 
ter  from  "  the  Imitation,"  and  then  we  each  prayed  by  our 
selves.  Mademoiselle  then  called  me,  and  reminded  me 
of  the  sweet  and  sacred  duty  I  had  to  perform,  to  ask 
pardon  of  all  whom  I  had  offended  in  any  way,  for  I 
must  be  in  peace  with  all  the  world  before  going  to  con 
fession.  I  threw  myself  in  her  arms,  I  even  wanted  to 
kneel  before  her,  and  cried : 

"You,  first  of  all,  you,  whom  I  have  pained  so  often,  I 
do  indeed  repent,  and  promise  to  be  good  in  future,  and 
give  you  only  pleasure.  .Forgive  me_,  forgive  me!  " 

"  She  held  me  in  her  arms,  and,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
said: 

"Ah,  my  dearest  child!  I  do  indeed  forgive  you,  and  I 
pray  God  to  bless  you  now  and  always.  But  go  to  your 
mother,  my  darling." 

As  I  ran  into  mamma's  room  I  found  her  looking  sadly 


MAEGUEEITE  AT  BOTTKBON.  291 

at  papa's  portrait.  I  fell  down  at  her  knees,  and  said,  with 
many  sobs : 

"  Oh,  ray  dear  good  little  mother  !  I  beg  you  to  forgive 
me,  and  give  me  your  blessing,  and  papa's  too ! " 

Mamma  bent  over  me,  and,  kissing  me  repeatedly,  said  : 

"  Bless  you,  my  child  !  I  bless  you  and  forgive  you.  I 
must  tell  you  too,  at  this  solemn  moment  in  your  life,  how 
much  you  have  done  to  correct  your  faults.  By  your 
struggles  and  your  perseverance,  my  child,  you  have  given 
me  great  satisfaction.  You  have  consoled  your  mother, 
nay  darling  child."  Oh,  how  happy  I  was  ! 

"Mamma,  mamma,"  I  cried,  "you  are  too  good.  And 
will  you  not  give  me  papa's  blessing?  will  he  not  forgive 
me  too?" 

Mamma  took  papa's  portrait,  and,  putting  it  to  my  lips, 
said: 

"  When  I  speak  for  myself  I  speak  for  him  too,  Mar 
guerite.  He  would  indeed  forgive  you,  for  he  has  spoken 
to  me  already  of  your  improved  temper  and  disposition." 

Oh,  how  delicious  it  was  to  feel  mamma's  arms  around 
me,  and  to  know  that  she  was  contented  with  me !  When  I 
left  her  I  went  to  Marie,  who  said  tenderly  she  had  nothing 
to  forgive ;  to  Jeanne,  who  asked  me  to  forgive  her ;  to 
Stephanie,  who  cried,  and  to  Berthe,  who  laughed.  Then 
to  each  of  the  servants,  to  whom  1  had  often  been  im 
patient  and  cross.  They  all  spoke  so  nicely  to  me,  and 
seemed  so  interested. 

At  last  we  started  for  church,  and  when  I  approached 
the  confessional  my  heart  beat  so  fast  that  I  could  hardly 
breathe.  We  had  to  wait  a  long,  long  time,  for  there  was 
such  a  crowd.  But  I  prayed  all  the  more  earnestly  for 
the  pardon  I  was  about  to  receive. 

At  last  my  turn  came,  and,  after  making  my  confession, 


292  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

as  I  listened  to  the  solemn  words  of  the  priest,  I  could  not 
keep  back  my  tears,  and  I  whispered  from  my  very  heart : 
"  O  God,  forgive  me,  forgive  me."  A  real  feeling  of  peace 
came  to  me,  however,  when  it  was  over  and  the  priest  said  : 
"Now  go  in  peace,  my  child."  I  still  shed  many  tears, 
but  they  were  comforting,  not  sorrowful. 

The  evening  was  delightful,  although,  of  course,  very 
quiet.  "We  talked  a  little,  but  not  very  much  ;  my  heart 
was  too  full.  We  sang  some  chants  together,  and  I  would 
willingly  have  spent  the  night  in  praying,  but  Mademoiselle 
'insisted  I  should  go  to  bed. 

Early  the  next  morning,  as  I  heard  Babet's  steps,  as  she 
came  to  wake  us,  I  thought  gladly :  "  The  day  has  come,  the 
day  of  my  first  communion  ! "  Every  one  was  so  kind  to 
me.  Mamma  put  on  my  dress  and  veil  with  her  own 
hands,  while  Stephanie  looked  at  me  with  her  great  eyes 
full  of  awe,  and  Berthe  danced  about  me  in  delight. 

Even  the  servants  seemed  to  look  at  me  with  respect 
and  consideration. 

When  we  reached  the  church,  and  I  saw  all  my  com 
panions,  like  a  great  white  cloud,  filling  the  benches,  my 
heart  was  filled  with  joy  and  gladness  ;  I  -exchanged  some 
kind  words  with  Adele,  for  I  wanted  to  feel  entirely  at 
peace  with  every  one. 

The  archbishop  addressed  some  beautiful  words  to -us, 
in  the  name  of  Our  Blessed  Lord,  and  then  in  ranks  we 
approached  the  sacred  table.  My  limbs  trembled  under 
me,  my  heart  beat  almost  to  suffocation,  yet  how  happy, 
how  more  than  happy,  I  felt ! 

Sunday,  July  2<itk. 

Of  this  most  solemn  moment  of  my  life,  what  can  I  say  ? 
I  have  often  heard  it  said  that  when  the  heart  feels  most, 


MARGUERITE  AT  BOURBON.  293 

the  lips  say  least,  and  so  it  must  be  with  my  pen.  'I  can 
only  say  that  much  as  I  had  thought  of  this  sacred  mo 
ment,  much  as  I  had  prayed  for  the  inestimable  blessing 
and  privilege,  the  reality  far  exceeded  my  expectations.  I, 
who  had  been  impatient,  vain,  unreasonable  so  often  in 
the  past,  felt  a  great  peace  and  strength  bestowed  upon  me, 
far  beyond  what  I  had  ever  had  before. 

I  did  indeed  bow  down  both  head  and  heart  to  adore 
Him  who  had  said  to  all  of  us:  ';  This  "do,  as  oft  as  ye  shall 
drink  it,  in  remembrance  of  me." 

When  we  came  back  to  our  places,  I  fell  on  my  knees 
and  prayed  more  earnestly  than  I  had  ever  done  for  each 
one  of  those  I  loved.  -I  remembered,  too,  all  who  had  been 
kind  to  me  and  indeed  all  I  had  ever  known,,  trying  to 
forget  that  I  had  ever  disliked  or  felt  angry  with  any  one. 

When  we  came  out  of  the  church,  I  found  myself  sur 
rounded  by  all  our  family,  each  one  coming  to  kiss  me  and 
say  some  kind  words.  Mile.  Berthe  had  a  great  many 
questions  to  ask,  but  I  could  make  but  little  reply,  my 
heart  was  so  full. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  again  for  the  Confirmation. 
The  archbishop  spoke  again  to  us,  reminding  us  of  the 
apostles,  and  how  they  had  been  confirmed  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  feeble  men  growing  strong  and  wise  through  the 
grace  poured  upon  them  to  support  and  enlighten  them. 
He  told  us  that  these  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  would  come  to 
us  too,  according  to  our  needs,  if  we  only  prayed  for  them 
with  the  full  strength  of  our  hearts ;  that  we  should  re 
ceive  faith,  love  and  hope,  and  the  power  to  resist  all  temp 
tations,  if  we  earnestly  desired  to  live  and  die  for  Our 
Saviour. 

The  archbishop  then  approached  each  one  of  us,  laying 
his  hands  on  our  heads,  signing  us  with  the  cross  on  the 


294  MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON. 

forehead,  and  giving  us  the  little  blow  which  represents 
the  injuries  and  outrages  we  are  prepared  to  endure  for 
Our  Lord. 

It  seems  that  Mile.  Berth e,  who  had  mounted  upon  a 
bench  in  order  to  watch  me  during  the  ceremony,  was  not 
at  all  pleased  with  these  little  blows.  She  said : 

"  I  do  not  want  the  archbishop  to  slap  Marguerite,"  and 
they  had  great  trouble  in  keeping  her  quiet.  I  said  to  her 
afterwards : 

"  Some  day  you  will  be  very  happy  yourself  to  have 
that  little  blow." 

"  No,  indeed,"  she  replied  ;  "  all  the  rest  yes,  but  not 
that;  I  should  never  like  it."  She. is  such  a  child  ! 

Berthe  seems  determined  to  try  all  my  good  resolutions, 
for  the  very  day  after  the  great  ceremony,  while  I  was 
down  stairs,  she  went  to  my  wardrobe,  and  began  turning 
over  all  my  things.  When  Stephanie  told  her  I  would 
not  like  it,  she  replied : 

"Oh,  Maguitte  will  not  scold  me,  she  is  too  good  now 
for  that." 

But  this  morning  it  was  too  much,  for  she  seized  my 
Journal  and  was  about  to  tear  out  some  of  the  blank  leaves 
to  use  as  drawing-paper  when  1  caught  her  arms. 

"  You  must  not  get  angry,  Maguitte,"  she  cried,  "  for  I 
have  read  in  here  all  the  promises  you  have  made  to  God." 
Then  she  had  read  what  I  had  never  intended  anyone  but 
mamma,  Mademoiselle,  and  Marie  to  see !  I  felt  very  badly, 
and  ran  to  Mademoiselle  for  consolation.  She  has  prom 
ised  to  speak  to  Berthe,  but  tells  me  I  must  hold  fast  to 

my  patience  and  forbearance. 

Monday,  July  25th. 

I  have  a  little  more  to  tell  about  the  happy  day  we  had 
together  in  the  enclosure,  and  talked  of  al  Iwe  had  thought 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  295 

and  felt  during  the  day.  We  seem  only  closer  together, 
since  I  too  have  approached-  the  altar.  I  trust  I  shall 
never  forget  all  I  have  vowed  on  this  happy  day,  and  I 
shall  always  try  to  bring  it  back  to  my  memory,  by  going 
to  my  Journal. 

Yesterday  we  had  letters  from  papa.  How  kind  it  was 
for  him  to  remember  the  time  of  my  first  Communion,  and- 
send  me  his  blessing  with  many  loving  words !  He  does 
not  ask  us  to  come  to  him  yet,  and  he  took  great  pains  not  to 
let  us  know  the  reason,  but  we  heard  from  the  vessels  that 
there  is  a  terrible  epidemic  among  children  now  in  Pon- 
dicherry.  So  we  are  still  detained  here. 

I  have  not  said  that  we  had  long  letters  some  time  ago 
from  Gustave  and  M.  Guer.  The  latter  says  Gustave  works 
well,  and  gives  so  much  satisfaction  that  mamma  may  well 
be  proud  of  her  son. 


SALAZIE,  Thursday,  August  18th. 

We  arrived  here  last  Saturday,  but  I  have  not  been  able 
to  write  before,  as  we  were  all  in  confusion.  Even  now  I 
am  not  very  comfortably  arranged  for  writing,  as  we  have 
only  one  table  for  the  two  rooms,  and  neither  bureau  nor 
secretary.  '  Really  the  houses  at  Salazie  cannot  be  called 
very  convenient.  However,  it  is  so  beautiful  here,  indeed 
so  magnificent,  that  we  ought  not  to  complain  at  any  little 
discomforts. 

Mamma,  who  has  seen  the  Alps,  says  that  some  of  the 
scenery  here  remind  her  very  much  of  that  country. 
Mademoiselle,  too,  is  quite  enthusiastic  about  it,  and  said 
yesterday  that  she  could  hardly  imagine  a  country  which 
had  greater  attractions,  beautiful  sea-views,  and  then  these 


296  MARGUERITE   AT   BOUKBON. 

magnificent  mountains.  We  are  all  very  happy ;  and  with 
Mrne.  Louis  Yintimil's  family  and  M.  de  Yeilles  we  have 
a  charming  time.  If  it  were  not  for  our  anxiety  about  dear 
Marie's  health,  which  caused  us  to  come  here,  how  delight 
ful  it  would  be !  After  the  terrible  attack  of  palpitation 
which  Marie  had  last  week,  the  physician  said  we  must 
give  her  change  of  air  at  once,  and  although  mamma  felt 
overwhelmed  at  the  idea  of  the  long,  hard  journey  to  Sal- 
azie,  she  consented  to  start  without  delay. 

It  is  all  very  rough  here,  but  M.  de  Yeilles  has  explained 
that  it  is  only  a  very  short  time  since  they  discovered  the 
Valuable  mineral  spring  here,  and  that  the  first  settlers  had 
enormous  obstacles  to  overcome.  The  roads  were  terrible, 
and  the  country  perfectly  wild  and  very  rough.  After  a 
time  they  will  have  good  roads  for  carriages,  and  then 
everything  else  can  be  improved  gradually.  To-morrow 
I  will  describe  our  journey  and  arrival  here. 

Friday,  Augmt  19th. 

We  slept  one  night  at  Mine.  Dumont's,  and  started  at 
sunrise  the  following  day.  Mamma,  Marie,  Jeanne,  Berthe 
and  I  were  in  the  large  carriage,  while  M.  de  la  Gaze,  Made 
moiselle  and  Stephanie  were  in  the  cabriolet.  Soon  afte*r 
leaving  St.  Andre  we  reached  our  halting-place,  where  we 
were  to  meet  our  baggage,  chairs  and  palanquins,  and  the 
negroes  who  were  to  carry  us.  There  too,  to  our  surprise, 
we  found  M.  de  Yeilles.  He  said  that  as  M.  and  Mine. 
Yintimil  were  established  at  Salazie  and  did  not  need  him, 
he  had  come  to  help  M.  de  la  Gaze  to  take  care  of  us.  It 
was  certainly  very  kind  of  him. 

M.  and  Mine,  de  la  Gaze  were  very  anxious  to  come 
with  Marie,  but  it  was  very  difficult  for  them  to  leave 
home  on  account  of  their  house,  little  children,  and  negroes. 


MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON.  297 

So  when  they  found  that  we  were  only  too  happy  to  watch 
over  my  darling  Marie,  they  put  her  entirely  in  our  care. 
M.  de  la  Gaze  made  the  journey  with  us,  and  now,  since  his 
return,  mamma  sends  him  a  daily  bulletin  of  Marie's  health. 
After  meeting  M.  de  Veilles,  we  had  our  breakfast  in 
the  open  air,  which  was  very  pleasant.  The  morning  air 
had  given  us  famous  appetites,  and  we  found  Mine.  Du- 
mont's  provisions  excellent.  What  a  pretty  place  the  halt 
ing-place  was !  They  called  it  "  The  Watering-pot,"  on 
account  of  a  cascade  which  came  tumbling  down  the 

o 

mountain,  through  vines  and  leaves,  sprinkling  everything 
around  far  and  near  with  a  fine  rain. 

Neither  Marie  nor  mamma  were  fatigued  as  yet,  and  I 
felt  so  happy  that  I  ran  off  with  the  children  to-  look  for 
raspberries,  which  grow  there  in  great  quantities.  We 
brought  them  to  mamma  and  Mademoiselle  on  great  leaves, 
and  how  delicious  they  were,  with  their  sweet  perfume  ! 

When  we  started  the  second  time,  we  presented  a  strange 
spectacle.  Mamma  went  first  in  a  sedan-chair  with  Berthe ; 
then  came  Jeanne  and  Stephanie  in  a  closed  palanquin, 
so  that  they  should  not  be  frightened  at  the  precipices ; 
after  them  Marie  and  I  were  carried  in  an  open  palan 
quin,  and  Mademoiselle  was  behind  us  in  a  chair  made  for 
this  sort  of  travelling.  It  had  holes  through  which  poles 
were  passed,  which  were  held  by  negroes,  but  I  do  not 
think  it  was  very  comfortable.  M.  de  la  Gaze  headed  our 
caravan  on  horseback,  and  M.  de  Veilles  closed  the  pro 
cession  also  on  horseback. 

What  a  peculiar  company  we  made.  I  was  constantly 
putting  my  head  out  of  the  palanquin,  to  watch  our  pro 
gress,  although  I  felt  that  any  movement  made  it  harder 
for  the  poor  negroes  who  were  carrying  us.  I  could  not 
help  feeling  sorry  for  them,  although  they  seemed  very 
13* 


298  MARGUERITE   AT   BOUKBON. 

cheerful,  and   sang   as  they  climbed  up  the  mountains 
with  us.  f 

"We  passed  one  place  which  was  called  "  the  Staircase." 
The  mountains  rose  high  and  straight  far  above  our  heads 
on  each  side,  in  a  way  that  was  almost  terrible.  I  am 
sorry  I  cannot  describe  all  these  beautiful  sights,  but  I  do 
not  think  I  shall  ever  forget  them.  There  was  one  cascade 
that  fell  from  a  height  of  fifteen  feet,  and  then  the  dense 
forests  covering  the  sides  of  the  mountain.  The  great  trees 
towered  above  us,  with  their  trunks  covered  with  moss, 
while"  beautiful  vines  fell  in  wreaths  from  the  branches. 
Marie  told  me  the  names  of  some  of  the  trees,  and  one  of 
the  negro  porters  told  me  about  a  great  many  more  of 
them.  At  a  certain  height,  some  of  the  highest  mountains 
have  only  palm-trees,  and  higher  still  only  bushes  and  a 
sort  of  reed  like  a  bamboo,  which  they  call  calumet. 

Sunday,  August  21st. 

I  could  not  write  yesterday,  for  we  took  so  long  a  walk 
that  we  were  away  from  early  in  the  morning  until  sunset. 
I  have  nearly  entire  holiday  at  present,  although  Mademoi 
selle  gives  me  a  little  with  which  to  occupy  myself  every 
day,  so  that  I  may  not  be  quite  idle.  To-day  I  have  resolved 
to  write  my  Journal,  although  I  hear  the  children  calling 
me  to  come  and  play  in  the  forest,  which  is  a  great 
temptation. 

I  want  to  be  near  Marie,  however,  for  she  is  not  at  all  well 
to-day,  having  another  attack  of  palpitation.  I  put  my 
hand  over  her  heart  just  now,  and  was  shocked  to  feel 
how  fast  it  was  beating.  Poor  Marie,  how  much  she 
suffers !  But  I  will  try  to  believe  that  this  pure  air  will  cure 
her. 

This  morning  we  had  Mass  in  a  little  hut,  which  they  are 


MARGUERITE*  AT  BOURBON1.  299 

using  until  they  can  build  a  small  church.  It  was  very 
touching  to  have  the  service  in  this  humble  place, 
for  it  made  one  think  of  God's  goodness,  since  He  is 
willing  to  come  to  us  whenever  we  call  upon  Him,  either 
in  a  grand  church  or  poor  hut. 

1  I  have  not  yet  described  the  end  of  our  journey,  which 
was  accomplished  happily,  although  we  were  all  very  tired. 
Indeed,  Marie  was  so  exhausted  by  the  rough  jolting, 
although  our  porters  were  as  careful  as  possible,  that  both 
Mademoiselle  and  I  were  very  anxious  about  her.  She 
laid  on  the  mattress  of  the  palanquin,  looking  so  pale  and 
weak  that  I  began  to  be  afraid  the  journey  was  too  much 
for  her.  When  we  arrived  at  last,  we  found  the  Yintimil 
family,  delighted  to  see  us,  and  the  little  ones  really  cried 
out  with  joy.  Our  hut  we  found  very  small,  two  rooms 
and  a  veranda,  and  that  was  all ;  but  we  put  Marie  to  bed 
without  delay,  and  she  had  a  good  night. 

The  next  dav  we  found  we  had  a  delightful  situation, 

*/  o  f 

at  the  foot  of  a  thickly-wooded  mountain,  where  we  can 
wander  all  day  amongst  the  ferns  and  wild  flowers,  under 
the  great  beautiful  trees.  We  all  enjoy  it  greatly.  Mamma 
and  Stephanie  are  gaining  color  and  appetite.  Berthe  is 
like  a  little  rose,  and  a  little  bird  too, — her  face  is  so  fresh, 
and  she  sings  all  day  long.  Jeanne  grows  larger  and  pret 
tier  every  day,  and  Mademoiselle  and  I  are  always  well. 
If  it  were  not  for  Marie,  we  should  be  so  happy !  But  I  do 
not  want  to  be  unreasonable,  for  now  that  we  have  brought 
her  where  so  many  come  in  search  of  health,  surely  she 
must  be  benefited.  Mme.  Vintimil  says  they  are  expecting 
now  some  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  Mauritius,  who  are 
coming  to  try  the  waters  here.  She  thinks  it  will  be  very 
pleasant  for  us,  since  they  are  always  very  good  friends 
with  the  Bourbon  people. 


300  MARGUERITE  AT  BOURBON. 

Yesterday  Mademoiselle  and  I  went  with  quite  a  large 
party  to  the  spring  and  to  "  the  Lake  of  the  "Water-fowl," 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  lakes  of  Salazie.  The  warm 
spring  is  in  a  narrow  valley,  and  they  have  put  up  on  each 
side  funny  little  huts  for  the  bathers,  which  look  like 
-birds'  nests.  "  The  Lake  of  the  "Water- fowl "  is  very  beauti 
ful,  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  high  mountain,  which  rises 
three  thousand  feet  above  it.  The  lake,  too,  is  very  far 
above  the  sea,  like  everything  at  Salazie,  so  that  the  fish 
which  swim  in  its  clear  Avaters  are  far  above  the  heads  of 
the  birds  at  Saint  Denis ! 

We  breakfasted  in  the  forest,  and  how  delightful  it  was! 
There  was  laughing,  singing  and  running  about,  while 
some  of-  the  party  told  stories  of  interesting  adventures  in 
hunting  wild  goats  through  different  parts  of  the  moun 
tains.  One  of  the  boldest  hunters  was  an  M.  Villiers  Adam, 
who  ris"ked  his  life  any  number  of  times  in  hunting  over  the 
wildest  mountains,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the  danger  of  it. 

If  Marie  gets  better,  we  shall  have  more  of  these  parties. 
I  think  we  shall  stay  at  Salazie  all  through  the  month  of 
September,  and  then  go  back  to  Saint  Denis  to  prepare  for 
our  journey  to  India.  How  I  wish  the  physicians  would 
order  Marie  to  take  a  voyage !  How  gladly  we  would 
take  her  with  us ! 


Thursday,  September  1st. 

Marie  is  very  ill ;  I  can  no  longer  deny  it.  Ah !  what 
shall  I  do,  what  shall  I  do  ?  I  am  writing  my  Journal  be 
side  her,  because  I  cannot  bear  to  leave  her.  She  begs  me, 
too,  to  occupy  myself,  for  she  cannot  bear  to  see  me  with 
the  tears  in  my  eyes,  looking  so  wretched  and  unhappy. 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  301 

Just  now,  as  she  was  falling  asleep,  she  looked  so  pale  and 
feeble  that  the  tears  fell  from  my  eyes  upon  her  forehead 
as  I  leaned  over  her.  She  opened  her  eyes,  and,  with  a 
sweet  smile,  said  softly: 

"  Do  not  despair,  Marguerite.  I  do  not  suffer  so  much 
now,  and  it  does  me  good  to  know  you  are  near  me  while 
I  am  asleep." 

So  I  have  begged  mamma  not  to  let  the  children  disturb 

oo 

Marie,  and  I  am  writing  by  her  bed.  But  it  oppresses  me 
to  hear  her  hard,  quick  breathing.  The  physician  here  is 
uneasy,  and  begs  us  to  send  for  another  to  Saint  Denis.  We 
expect  M.  de  la  Gaze  to-night.  Marie  has  been  ill  since  last 
Sunday,  but  I  was  not  anxious  until  to-day.  Mamma  and 
Mademoiselle,  however,  have  been  uneasy  for  some  time ; 
and  Marie  says  herself  that  she  has  felt  she  was  losing 
strength  every  day  since  the  bad  attack  she  had  before  we 
started  for  Salazie,  and  she  has  been,  so  brave  and  has  never 
told  us  !  How  I  pray  sheymay  be  mistaken.  O  God  !  thou 
knowest  it  all,  let  me  keep  Marie.  Make  me  poor,  sick, 
unhappy  ;  only  let  me  keep  my  darling  friend  and  sister ! 


Sunday,  September  4th. 

I  have  been  to  Mass  this  morning,  and  have  prayed  so 
earnestly  for  Marie !  I  think  she  is  better,  and  M.  de  la 
Gaze  seems  hopeful,  although  he  has  tears  in  his  eyes  when 
he  speaks  of  Marie.  lie  has  sent  for  Mine,  de  la  Gaze,  to 
whom  mamma  will  give  her  bed,  and  will  sleep  herself 
on  the  floor.  We  are  all  with  Marie  constantly,  all  want 
ing  to  nurse  her.  Jeanne  is  very  sweet  and  tender  to  her, 
and  rather  inclined  to  dispute  my  right  to  be  so  much  with 
Marie.  She  said  a  little  sharply  : 

"  I  am  her  true  sister"     But  I  replied : 


302  MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON. 

"  O  Jeanne !  but  am  1  not  sister  and  friend  too.  But 
do  not  let  us  quarrel ;  we  can  both  wait  on  her." 

As  I  raised  Mane's  pillows  to-day,  for  she  seemed  to  be 
breathing  so  painfully,  I  said  : 

"  Are  you  more  comfortable,  Marie  ? " 

"  Yes,  much  more  so ;  thank  you,  Marguerite." 

"  But,  Marie,  why  not  tell  me  when  you  are  uncomfort 
able?" 

Marie  raised  her  eyes  to  the  crucifix,  which  hung  before 
her,  and  said  very  softly : 

"  I  have  a  better  bed  than  He  had" 

"  O  Marie  ! "  I  cried,  "  but  He  does  not  forbid  yon  to 
take  relief." 

"  And  you  see  I  do  accept  it.  O  Marguerite !  let  us 
both  look  to  Him  and  be  resigned." 

"  Marie,  there  is  one  thing,  you  see,  only  one,  which  I 
can  never  accept." 

"  And  it  is  that  very  thing,  perhaps,  which  God  will  ask." 
As  I  was  about  to  reply,  Mademoiselle  came  to  us,  and  re 
proaching  Marie  gently  for  speaking  so  long,  led  me  away. 

Then  I  thought  of  Marie,  and  how  resigned  she  was  to 
God's  will,  and  of  mamma,  who  had  given  up  baby,  and 
did  not  rebel,  in  spite  of  her  terrible  grief.  Should  not  I, 
too,  be  willing  to  make  an  offering  ?  But  I  cannot  think 
of  it  all,  for  my  heart  is  so  full. 

Monday,  September  5th. 

Marie  is  not  so  well  to-day.  She  is  sitting  up,  because 
she  could  not  stay  any  longer  in  bed,  so  we  have  put  her 
in  a  large  chair  with  pillows,  and  a  foot-stool  for  her  feet. 
She  breathes  better  than  in  bed.  She  had  a  terrible  attack 
of  suffocation  this  morning,  and  I  was  so  frightened.  For 
a  time  she  could  not  breathe  at  all,  and  after  she  recov 
ered,  she  lay  for  hours  without  the  slightest  movement. 


MAKGUEKITE   AT   BOUKBON.  303 

Mrne.  de  la  Gaze  and  mamma  prepare  the  medicines 
ordered  by  the  two  physicians ;  one  arrived  from  Saint 
Denis  last  evening.  They  try  to  make  us  think  that  this 
attack  is  the  effect  of  the  air  here,  and  will  pass.  How 
hard  it  is  to  see  Marie  suffer.  I  can  see  how  painful  it  is 
to  Mademoiselle,  too,  although  she  is  so  calm  and  quiet. 
She  does  Marie  so  much  good  by  talking  to  her  gently  of 
such  things  as  can  help  and  strengthen  her.  I  can  do 
nothing  but  give  her  now  and  then  a  cooling  drink,  and 
yet  how  I  long  to  help  her ! 

Tuesday,  September  Qtk. 

I  am  going  to  write  a  little  to-day,  as  it  is  the  only  thing 
I  can  do  in  Marie's  room,  since  they  have  forbidden  me  to 
talk  to  her.  Mamma  and  Mme.  de  la  Gaze  are  here  too, 
but  do  not  speak,  as  Marie  must  be  kept  very  quiet.  Mam 
ma's  tears,  fall  very  often,  for  now  that  she  sees  M.  and 
Mme.  de  la  Gaze  so  anxious,  it  depresses  her  very  much. 

Yesterday  I  resolved  to  talk  to  Marie  calmly  and  with 
out  hesitation.  When  she  waked  she  pointed  to  "the 
Imitation, "  which  Mademoiselle  had  in  her  hand,  and 
asked  her  to  read  the  chapter  entitled  "On  a  Happy 
Eternity  and  the  Miseries  of  this  Life."  Mademoiselle's 
voice  trembled  with  feeling  as  she  read  of  the  earnest  long 
ing  for  heaven  and  the  sufferings  on  earth,  but  Marie's 
face  was  beaming.  Her  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  crucifix, 
and,  as  Mademoiselle  finished,  I  heard  her  whisper : 

"  Oh,  the  blessed  dwelling  in  the  celestial  city !  When, 
oh  when  shall  I  be  with  Jesus  1"  As  Mademoiselle  kissed 
her,  she  said : 

"  Thanks  be  to  God,  dear  child,  that  He  has  so  strength 
ened  and  fortified  you  by  His  love." 

"  Ah,  yes,  J  love  Him,  I  do  love  Him,  but  not  enough 
yet ;  and"  I  sometimes  think  that  I  do  not  fear  enough." 


304:  1IARGUERITE   AT   BOTJKBON. 

"  Fear  is  not  necessary,"  replied  Mademoiselle, "  save  for 
those  who  do  not  love  enough.  For  you,  dear  child,  it  is 
useless,  and  indeed  would  offend  God,"  who  has  over 
whelmed  you  with  benefits.  " 

"  Yes,  overwhelmed  ;  and  what  a  blessing  lie  has  given-, 
in  calling  me  to  Him  so  young !" 

"  O  Marie !  "  I  cried,  "  you  do  not  think  of  us  when  you 
speak  so. "  Marie  smiled,  and,  putting  out  her  hand,  drew 
me  close  to  her,  while  she  whispered : 

"  I  think  of  you  always,  Marguerite,  and  how  sweet  you 
would  make  my  death,  if  you  would  only  be  resigned. " 

"  O  Marie !  that  horrible  word !" 

"  No,  not  horrible ;  Christians  ought  not  to  feel  it  horrible." 

"  But,  Marie,  it  is  always  a  separation !" 

"  Yes,  Marguerite,  and  it  grieves. me  to  make  you  suffer ; 
but  think  of  me  that  I  go  to  join  my  dearest  mother,  my 
father,  grandfather,  and,  above  all,  that  I  shall  be  with 
God !"  She  was  exhausted,  and  I  bent  over  her,  begging 
her  not  to  talk,  and  accusing  myself  of  selfishness  in  want 
ing  to  keep  her  here.  Marie  put  her  arms  around  me  and 
held  me  closely  for  some  time.  At  last  she  whispered: 

"  O  Marguerite  !  how  I  shall  love  you  in  heaven  !  how  I 
shall  pray  for  you  !" 

"Ask  that  I  should  die  too,  Marie." 

"  No,  think  of  your  father,  mother,  and  Mademoiselle 
Yalmy.  I  shall  ask  Go'd  to  give  you  courage. "  Then,  after 
resting  a  little,  she  spoke  to  me  of  Jeanne,  her  dear,  little 
Jeanne,  asking  me  to  love  her  as  a  sister,  and  also  to  treat 
Alberic  as  a 'brother.  Indeed,  she  said  many  heart-break 
ing  things  to  me,  but  I  listened  quietly,  although  I  felt 
•overwhelmed  with  grief. 

To-day  she  is  very  much  exhausted,  although  the  phy 
sicians  still  -speak  hopefully. 


MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON.  305 

SAINT  DENIS,  Thursday,  September  22d. 

It  is  a  fortnight  to-day.  Yes,  it  was  Thursday,  the  8th, 
the  Feast  of  the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Ah,  how 
I  have  prayed  !  But  I  will  be  calm,  for  I  promised  Marie. 
.  .  .  Marie,  oh,  my  sister,  where  are  you !  Why  have  you 
gone  !  Why  have  you  left  your  Marguerite !  How  can  I 
live  without  you  !  ISTo,  Marie,  I  cannot  be  resigned,  for  you 
see  my  heart  is  broken,  and  it  is  too  great  a  sorrow. 

I  stop  and  try  again  while  the  tears  will  fall.  What  can 
I  do  but  write  my  Journal !  My  studies,  they  are  so  dis 
tasteful  to  me  !  Then  we  are  getting  ready  to  go  to  India, 
and  I  am  not  well,  so  mamma  will  not  let  me  study.  At 
present  I  can  think  of  nothing  but  Marie,  and  how  I  shall 
live  all  my  life  without  her !  I  think  and  think  ;  I  cannot 
say  all  that  is  in  my  heart.  O  Marie !  I  suffer  so  much,  so 
,  very  much  !  And  you  cannot  comfort  me  any  more,  you 
who  always  tried  to  console  me  in  the  least  trouble  !• 
had.  And  this  is  so  great  a  trouble  !  And  I  am  so  young, 

and  need  you  so  much 

Friday,  September  23  d. 

I  shall  begin  again  to-day  to  try  and  write  my  Journal. 
Yesterday  mamma  stopped  me,  for  she  came  in  and  found 
me  crying,  so  she  said  I  would  make  myself  ill,  and  sent 
me  to  Mademoiselle.  I  have  begged  her  to  let  me  write 
to-day,  for  I  want  to  tell  of  my  last  days  with  Marie,  and 
nothing  else  will  console  me. 

O 

Marie  decid,  can  I  ever  believe  it !  Cold  and  stiff  like 
poor  baby,  and,  like  him,  put  away  from  our  sight !  Oh ! 
it  is  terrible ! 

But  no,  I  will  not  complain,  for  I  promised  Marie,  and 
she  sees  me  now.  Only  sometimes  I  think,  oh,  if  I  could 
only  feel  that  .she  was  in  Pondicherry  or  in  France,  even 


306  MARGUERITE    AT   BOURBON. 

if  I  could  not  see  her — but  never  again !  It  seems  as  if  my 
heart  must  break. 

As  I  have  said,  Marie  was  terribly  exhausted  on  the  6th ; 
her  weakness  increased  so  that  she  could  only  speak  to  ask 
for  a  priest.  Unhappily  M.  1'Abbe  Margy  had  left  Salazie 
after  Mass  on  Sunday.  They  sent  for  him,  but  he  did  not 
arrive.  Mademoiselle  comforted  Marie  greatly,  however, 
praying  with  her  and  speaking  to  her  of  God  and  His 
great  goodness  and  mercy. 

With  it  all  I  felt  hopeful,  for  the  physician  from  Saint 
Denis  had  gone,  saying  that  he  thought  Marie  would  rally 
from  this  attack,  and  as  long  as  there  was  a  breath  of  life, 
we  might  hope,  on  account  of  her  youth.  I  know  now 
that  he  had  no  hope,  but  he  spoke  in  kindness,  and  indeed 
his  words  did  support  us. 

Bat  mamma  felt  terribly,  and  so  did  Mme.  de  la  Gaze, 
although  she  was  very  brave.  Her  husband  was  more  cast 
down  than  she,  for  he  would  stand  behind  Marie,  looking 
at  her  with  such  a  piteous  expression  it  was  enough  to 
break  one's  heart. 

We  did  not  go  to  bed,  bat  towards  morning  Marie  fell 
asleep,  more  quietly  than  she  had  slept  for  some  days. 
They  said  it  was  a  good  sign,  and  I  went  away  into  another 
room  to  thank  God  for  His  goodness.  I  fell  asleep  in  a 
large  chair,  and  when  I  wakened  Jeanne  was  standing  be 
fore  me. 

"  She  is  much  better,"  she  said,  and  in  my  delight,  I 
threw  my  arms  around  her  and  kissed  her.  I  went  at 
once  into  Marie's  room,  and  I  can  see  her  now,  as  she 
was  then.  Sitting  in  a  large  chair,  in  a  fresh  white  dress 
ing-gown,  with  her  lovely  hair  falling  on  her  shoulders. 
How  lovely  she  was,  and  it  seemed  to  me  she  was  not  so 
thin,  there  was  a  change  since  the  night  before. 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOUKBON.  307 

As  I  knelt  down  beside  her.  Marie  put  her  two  little 
hands  on  my  head,  and  said  softly : 

"  If  I  dared,  I  would  bless  you,  ray  dearest  sister." 

"  O  Marie !  it  would  be  so  sweet,  but  you  are  not  old 
enough  to  do  so." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  I  am,"  she  said,  with  such  a  lovely 
smile,  "  for  there  is  now  no  age  for  me." 

"  Oh,  why  not,  Marie !  " 

"  Because  I  am  entering  eternity,  darling,"  and,  bending 
over  me,  two  tears  fell  from  her  eyes  on  my  face.  Oh,  if  I 
could  feel  them  again ! 

Sunday,  September  26th. 

We  were  all  at  Mass  this  morning,  in  our  deep  mourn 
ing,  which  mamma  has  permitted  us  to  wear  for  our  dear 
sister. 

The  morning  of  "Wednesday  continued  good.  Marie 
could  breathe  more  easily,  and  could  speak  without  suffer 
ing.  The  children  thought  she  was  cured,  and  were  full 
of  joy,  but  I  could  see  that  M.  de  la  Gaze,  and  indeed 
mamma  and  Mademoiselle,  looked  very  sad. 

In  the  afternoon  M.  1'Abbe  Margy  came,  and  Marie  saw 
him  alone.  She  made  her  confession,  and  then  begged 
him  to  perform  the  last  offices  for  her,  saying  calmly : 

"  My  father,  they  are  mistaken  about  my  state.  I  have 
very  little  time  to  live.  Indeed,  I  hope  and  believe  I  shall 
be  called  away  to-morrow."  M.  Margy  yielded  to  her  en 
treaties,  and  promised  to  come  the  next  day  and  administer 
the  communion.  lie  was  much  struck  with  Marie's  con- 
posure,  and  said  he  had  never  before  seen  so  much  faith, 
resignation,  courage  and  love  as  this  young  girl  now  showed. 
Oh,  my  sister,  how  could  any  one  see  you  and  not  love  and 
admire  you  ! 

During  the  day  Marie  was  very  calm,  looking  forward 


308  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

with  so  much  happiness  to  the  next  day,  when  she  would 
be  brought  so  near  to  Our  Blessed  Lord.  The  night,  too, 
was  quiet,  and  in  the  morning  Marie  seemed  still  better, 
although  very  weak. 

Mamma  and  Mademoiselle  had  prepared  a  little  altar 
with  our  table  and  some  linen  draperies,  and  we  put  on  it 
some  beautiful  flowers  which  had  been  sent  to  us.  Marie 
pointed  to  them,  and  said : 

"  You  will  keep  them,  Marguerite,  in  memory  of  this 
day !  "  As  the  daylight  grew  stronger,  Marie  seemed  a 
little  anxious,  and  said  to  Mademoiselle  : 

"  Pray  that  I  shall  have  time,  and  that  M.  Margy  will 
not  be  too  late."  But  Mademoiselle  soothed  her  with 
words  of  trust  and  hope. 

At  last  Jeanne  announced  "  M.  Margy."  As  the  good 
priest  came  in,  we  all  fell  on  our  knees.  He  then  said  a 
few  touching  words  to  Marie,  reminding  her  of  the  joys  of 
heaven,  towards  which  she  was  so  fast  approaching. 

"  One  step  more,  my  child,  and  you  will  possess  them. 
That  step  Jesiis  will  take  with  you,  leading  you  gently,  as 
one  of  His  own.  Let  your  heart,  then,  be  filled  only  with 
peace,  love  and  hope.  For  you  there  shall  be  neither 
trouble,  terror,  nor  sadness.  Since  Jesus  is  with  you,  who 
can  be  against  you  ? " 

Then,  approaching  Marie,  he  gave  her  the  sacred  wafer. 
She  rose  to  receive  it,  and  would  even  have  knelt  if  fyer 
weakness  would  have  allowed  her  to  do  so.  After  Marie 
had  received,  she  sank  back  on  her  pillows,  and  lay  so  en 
tirely  without  movement  for  some  time  that  I  was  fright 
ened.  As  I  was  about  to  touch  her,  Mademoiselle  checked 
me,  saying : 

"  She  is  calm  and  happy;  do  not  disturb  her." 

At  this  moment  M.  Margy  was  summond  to  attend  a 


MAEGUEKITE   AT  BOURBON".  309 

dying  man  at  the  warm  springs,  and  had  to  leave  us.  He 
approached  Marie  to  say  adieu.  She  seemed  distressed 
to  part  with  him,  saying  : 

"  Oh !  my  father,  how  I  wish  you  could  be  with  me  till 
the  last." 

"  I  will  return,  my  child." 

"  It  will  be  too  late,  but  give  me  your  blessing  now." 
M.  Margy  laid  his  hands  on  her  head,  while  the  tears  came 
into  his  eyes  as  he  pronounced  the  solemn  words  of  his 
benediction.  As  he  left  the  room,  he  said  : 

"  What  an  angel  she  is !  Oh  !  if  the  world  could  know 
what  death  is,  when  one  has  faith,  love  and  hope." 

I  could  no  longer  deceive  myself  about  Marie's  condi 
tion.  I  felt  that  she  was  dying,  and  I  thought  my  heart 
must  break !  . 

Monday,  September  26t7i. 

Marie  seemed  better  after  her  communion,  and,  indeed, 
slept  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  As  she  waked,  I  was  stand 
ing  beside  her,  and  she  signed  to  me  to  come  near  her,  as 
she  whispered  to  me : 

"  Listen  to  me,  dearest."  I  was  startled  to  hear  how 
feebly  she  spoke.  She  kissed  me  and,  after  a  pause,  said  : 

"I  am  going  to  leave  you,  Marguerite ;  but  Jesus  has 
given  me  strength  to  say  yet  a  few  words." 

"  O  Marie !  tell  me  what  you  want  to  say." 

"  I  am  leaving  you  to  Him,  my  sister,  as  I  hoped  to  do. 
Commune  often,  and  always  pray  for  me." 

"Ah!  Marie,  you  will  not  need  it." 

"  Do  not  refuse  me  ;  I  shall  always  pray  for  you." 

"  O  Marie ! "  I  cried,  hiding  my  face,  streaming  with 
tears,  "  I  shall  not  see  you  any  more." 

"  Life  is  short,"  replied  Marie,  tenderly,  "  and  you  must 
live  to  console  your  mother.  Be  an  example  to  the  little 


310  MARGUERITE  AT  BOURBON. 

ones.  Love  ray  Jeanne  well,  and  be  a  sister  to  my  poor 
Alberic."  At  these  words  she  grew  very  faint,  and  as  I  felt 
her  hands  grow  cold  in  mine,  I  cried  out  in  terror. 
Mamma  and  Mademoiselle  and  Mme.  de  la  Gaze  came  to 
us  at  once.  They  bathed  Marie's  temples,  opened  all  the 
doors  and  windows,  and  in  a  short  time  she  recovered,  but 
she  grew  weaker  every  moment.  Presently  she  asked  for 
Jeanne,  and  when  she  came  to  her,  she  kissed  and  caressed 
her  fondly,  leaving  with  her  messages  for  all  who  loved 
her,  Alberic,  Mme.  Dumont,  and  even  remembering  poor 
old  Babet  and  Barabbe. 

She  then  said  farewell  to  her  uncle  and  aunt,  begging 
them  to  watch  over  Jeanne  and  Alberic,  and  thanking  them 
for  their  love  and  kindness  to  the  three  poor  orphans.  She 
forgot  no  one,  leaving  loving  words  to  all.  When  she 
turned  to  mamma,  she  could  hardly  speak,  for  poor  mam 
ma's  sorrow  was  overwhelming.  She  was  seized  with 
suffocation,  but,  rallying  at  last,  said : 

"  O  Mme. !  you  have  been  a  mother  to  me.  She  to 
whom  I  am  going  now  will  bless  you."  Mamma  could  not 
answer,  and  was  obliged  to  leave  the  room. 

Marie's  eyes,  so  full  of  love  and  gratitude,  turned  to 
Mademoiselle,  but  she  did  not  speak.  At  last  she  whis 
pered  feebly : 

"  For  you  I  have  no  words ;  you  have  been  my  guardian 
angel."  As  Mademoiselle,  who  was  trembling  violently 
with  emotion,  leaned  over  her,  she  added :  "  Stay  here — 
close  to  me — help  me  till  the  end." 

Mademoiselle  knelt  close  to  her,  holding  the  crucifix  and 
saying :  "  This  is  our  hope." 

Marie  tried  to  take  the  cross,  but  her  hands  were  too  cold, 
so  I  held  it  for  her,  while  Mademoiselle  read  the  prayers 
for  the  dying.  Oh,  how  could  I  bear  to  see  her  die  ! 


MAKGUEKITE  AT  BOUKBON.  311 

Soon  Marie  had  an  attack  of  suffocation,  then  very  soon 
another,  and  each  attack  left  her  more  feeble.  A  little 
later  she  asked  what  time  it  was ;  they  told  her  three  o'clock. 
She  murmured : 

"  Soon,  soon  ;  pray  for  me ;  good-by."  Her  eyes  sought 
for  the  crucifix,  and,  as  I  put  it  to  her  lips,  we  heard  her 
whisper : 

"  My  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 
At  this  moment  she  had  a  terrible  attack,  and,  as  it  passed, 
she  opened  her  eyes,  looked  for  a  moment  at  the  crucifix, 
and  then,  with  a  sweet,  quiet  smile,  she  was  gone. 

Tuesday,  September  27th. 

I  was  so  ill  yesterday  after  writing,  that  mamma 
scolded  me.  But  my  Journal  is  now  my  great  consolation. 

As  'I  saw  that  my  dear  Marie  was  gone — she  could  no 
longer  speak  to  me  nor  look  at  me — I  was  seized  with  a 
sort  of  despair,  and  was  about  to  fling  myself  upon  her,  but 
Mademoiselle  restrained  me,  saying  solemnly  : 

"  Do  not  touch  her;  she  stands  now  before  God;  rather 
let  us  pray  together."  As  I  fell  on  my  knees,  I  was  awe 
struck  at  the  thought  that  Marie,  trembling  but  happy,  was 
now  rendering  account  of  her  life  before  Our  Blessed  Lord. 

But  we,  we — what  was  to  become  of  us  '?  As  the  ques 
tion  rose  to  my  lips,  I  could  bear  no  more,  but  fell  faint 
ing  beside  rny  sister,  as  cold  and  still  as  she. 

When  I  recovered,  I  found  myself  in  a  room  with 
mamma,  who  wras  kneeling  beside  me  and  looking  at  me 
so  tenderly.  At  first  I  could  only  cry  out  in  my  misery, 
forgetting  everything  but  that  Marie  was  gone  from  rne 
forever.  Mamma  said  all  she  could  to  calm  me,  but  with 
little  effect,  until  at  last  Mademoiselle  came  in.  I  flew  to 
meet  her,  crying : 


312  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

"  Is  it  really  true — is  she  dead  ?  I  shall  not  see  her  or 
speak  to  her  again  !  I  am  all  alone  now." 

"  No,  not  alone,  my  child,"  said  Mademoiselle ;  "  you 
forget  the  friend  to  whom  Marie  left  you." 

"I  do  not  forget,  but—" 

"  You  trouble  Marie  even  now,  in  the  midst  of  her  joy, 
if  you  will  not  strive  for  courage  and  submission."  She 
then  urged  me  to  compose  myself,  and  come  and  look  once 
more  at  my  dear  sister,  otherwise  the-  physician,  who  al 
ready  spoke  gravely  of  my  excited  state  of  mind,  would 
send  me  away,  as  he  had  sent  Jeanne  and  Stephanie. 

"  I  have  promised  for  you,  Marguerite,"  she  said,  "  that 
you  will  be  calm,  and  will  show  yourself  worthy  of  the 
angel  we  have  lost." 

I  followed  Mademoiselle  with  trembling  steps,  and 
looked  at  Marie  once  more.  Oh,  how  pure  and  beautiful 
she  looked  !  She  wore  the  same  dress  she  had  had  for  my 
first  -communion,  and  as  she  lay  with  her  hands  folded  on 
Ijer  breast,  she  looked  like  a  beautiful  statue  of  the  Virgin. 
Every  one  who  saw  her  was  struck  by  her  great  beauty. 

The  news  of  our  loss  had  spread  through  the  mountains, 
and  numbers  of  the  kind  country  people  came  to  offer  aid 
and  sympathy.  Each  and  all  had  heard  of  her  goodness 
and  piety,  and  of  her  saintly  death. 

I  will  "not  speak  of  the  sweet  but  cruel  moments  that  I 
spent  beside  my  dear  sister,  nor  of  the  terrible  hour  when 
she  was  taken  away  forever  to  make  the  journey  to  the 
cemetery  of  Sainte  Suzanne  alone  and  cold  in  her  narrow 
coffin ! 

We  left  Salazie  as  soon  as  we  could,  and  made  the  de 
scent  of  the  mountain  with  heavy  hearts,  missing  our  dear 
Marie  at  every  step.  Stephanie  was  with  me  in  the  palan 
quin,  and  the  dear  child  did  all  she  could  to  comfort  me. 


MARGUERITE   AT  BOURBON.  313 

She  seemed  to  think  only  of  me  and  my  distress,  and  said 
to  me  so  sweetly : 

"  May  I  not  try,  Marguerite,  to  fill  Marie's  place  with 
you  ? "  But  my  sorrow  was  too  great  to  let  me  feel  that 
any  one  could  fill  that  place. 

M.  and  Mme.  de  la  Gaze  wanted  to  carry  us  to  Champ- 
Borne,  but  we  did  not  feel  that  we  could  bear  to  be  there 
without  our  dear  Marie.  We  spent  one  night  with  kind 
Mme.  Dumont,  and  then  came  at  once  to  Saint  Denis,  for 
we  had  received  letters  from  papa  urging  us  to  come  to 
him  by  the  first  good  ship  which  would  leave  Bourbon  for 
India.  Mamma  is,  of  course,  rejoiced  at  the  prospect  of 
seeing  papa  so  soon,  and  she  thinks,  too,  that  it  will  be 
better  for  me  to  be  taken  from  these  sad  associations  in 
Bourbon. 

I  am  not  sorry  to  go,  for  now  that  Marie  is  not  here,  I 
have  nothing  to  keep  me.  I  am  grieved  that  I  shall  be  so 
far  from  her  grave,  but  as  mamma  can.  make  up  her  mind 
to  leave  dear  baby  behind  her,  I  must  not  complain.  We 
shall  sail  in  the  Jean  Bart  early  next  month. 

Jeanne  is  with  her  uncle  and  aunt  at  Badamier ;  she  was 
very  sick  for  a  week  after  she  left  Salazie,  but  is  now 
quite  well.  She  is  to  go  to  school  with  Marianne.  Poor 
Jeanne,  what  a  sister  she  has  lost !  Mamma  has  written 
to  M.  Guer,  begging  him  to  prepare  poor  Alberic  gently 
for  the  terrible  news,  and  has  written  to  Alberic  also,  tell 
ing  him  of  her  sorrow  and  sympathy.  But,  in  spite  of  all, 
I  know  how  sad  he  will  be  ! 


Saturday,  October  1st. 

I  must  try  and  be  calm,  so  that  I  can  remember  all  my 
conversation  with  Mme.  Louis  Vintimil,  which  has  dis- 
14 


314  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

turbed  me  so  much.  I  did  not  think  I  should  have  any 
more  trials,  and  now  I  have  one  which  puts  such  a  heavy 
responsibility  upon  me.  I  cannot  ask  any  one  to  help  me, 
for  I  dare  not  speak  to  mamma.  The  thought  of  such  a 
thing  would  almost  kill  her. 

But  I  must  tell  the  story. 

Mamma  and  Mademoiselle  were  afraid  that  my  grief 
would  make  me  ill,  and  urged  me  constantly  to  go  out,  al 
though  I  assured  them  that  it  made  me  more  unhappy.  As 
they  could  not  always  walk  with  .me  themselves,  they  often 
sent  me  with  M.  and  Mme.  Yintimil,  who  seemed  greatly 
distressed  at  the  idea  of  losing  us  so  soon.  Yesterday 
morning  they  came  to  beg  me  to  spend  the  day  with  them, 
and  although  I  urged  mamma  to  let  me  stay  at  home,  she 
insisted  that  it  would  do  me  good  to  go. 

After  breakfast,  during  which  I  had  only  spoken  a  few 
words  to  M.  de  Yeilles,  who  seemed  to  understand  me,  and 
was  very  sad  and  troubled  himself,  I  went  up  to  see  little 
Ida.  When  I  had  played  with  her  a  little  while,  Mme. 
Louis  Vintimil  came  in  and  sent  Ida  away  with  her  nurse. 
She  then  closed  the  door,  and,  locking  it,  said  : 

"  Do  you  know,  Marguerite,  that  1  want  to  talk"  to  you 
about  something  very  important  ? " 

«  To  me,  Madame  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  hope  you  will  listen  attentively."     I  said  : 

"  Certainly,  Madame."  But  I  was  surprised  and  a  little 
alarmed  by  such  a  preparation. 

Mme.  Vintimil  sat  down  before  me,  and,  looking  at  me 
earnestly,  continued : 

"  You  must  believe,  my  dear  Marguerite,  that  I  should 
not  speak  to  you  now  on  this  matter,  if  you  were  not  going 
away  so  soon.  I  know  well  how  great  your  grief  is,  and  I 
am  only  afraid  I  shall  cause  you  more  sorrow." 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOUEBON.  315 

"  Oh !  Madame,  I  cannot  be  troubled  about  anything 
but  Marie  now." 

'"  I  am  glad  you  will  listen  to  me,  Marguerite,  and  I  know 
how  brave  you  can  be." 

"  Oh !  it  is  Mademoiselle  who  has  taught  me  how  religion 
can  make  me  strong." 

O 

"  It  is  of  her  that  I  want  to  speak  to  you,  Marguerite." 
I  was  startled  ;  I  thought,  "  Can  Mademoiselle  be  ill,  like 
my  poor  Marie  !  " 

Mine.  Yintimil  then  went  on  to  speak  of  Mademoiselle, 
and  said  how  much  they  had  all  learned  to  love  and  ad 
mire  her.  She  praised  her  goodness  and  unselfishness  so 
sincerely  that  I  could  only  thank  her  with  tears  in  my  eyes. 

"  You  can  understand,  dear  child,"  she  said,  "  how 
grieved  we  feel  at  the  idea  of  .losing  Mile.  Valmy,  as  well 
as  your  dear  mother  and  yourself."  Suddenly  it  occurred 
to  me  that  Mine.  Yintimil  wanted  to  take  Mademoiselle 
away  from  us  for  her  own  little  girl,  and  I  felt  that  was 
rather  too  much  !  Madame  Louis  added  : 

"  I  am  sure  you  feel  as  we  do,  Marguerite,  that  you 
would  do  anything  to  make  Mile.  Yalmy  more  happy." 

"  All,  yes,  Madame,"  I  cried,  "  although,  since  I  have 
been  so  sad,  I  am  afraid  I  have  not  thought  of  her  as  I 
should." 

"  Then,  my  dear,  would  it  pain  you  so  much  now  as  be 
fore  if  Mile.  Yalmy  were  to  leave  you." 

I  jumped  up,  crying: 

"  Leave  us,  Madame,  and  for  whom,  if  you  please." 

"Be  quiet,  Marguerite,  or  I  cannot  continue.  I.  was 
afraid  of  this.  I  see  that  you  love  Mile.  Yalmy  for  your 
self  and  not  for  her.  Should  it  make  her  happier  to 
leave  you — 

"Oh!  Madame,  you  do  not   know  Mademoiselle;   she 


316  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

would  never  wish  to  leave  us.'  She  is  perfectly  happy 
with  us.  She  has  said  so  to  me  a  thousand  times." 

"  She  is  happy  certainly  by  comparison ;  indeed,  as  a  gov 
erness,  she  could  not  be  more  delightfully  situated  ;  but — " 

"  Then  what  do  you  want,  Madame  ? " 

"  That  she  should  have  a  home  of  her  own,  children  of 
her  own  to  love  and  cherish.  I  know  well  she  would 
never  leave  you  all  to  be  governess  elsewhere,  but  to  be 
married,  and  have  thus  a  protector  and  friend  who  would 
surround  her  with  the  love  and  devotion  which  she  now 
gives  to  others — it  is  this  which  I  ask  for  her,  Marguerite." 

I  was-so  struck  by  these  words  that  at  first  I  could  not 
speak.  At  last  I  said : 

"  Madame,  I  am  sure  that  Mademoiselle  does  not  wish 
for  such  happiness.  She  has  promised  mamma — " 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  interrupted  Mine.  Yintimil,  "  and  for  that 
reason  I  cannot  speak  to  Mile.  Yalmy  again,  as  she  has  al 
ready  refused  our  offers.  But  I  speak  to  you,  Marguerite, 
for  I  feel  sure  you  would  wish  to  do  everything  to  secure 
Mile.  Valmy's  happiness,  and  also  because  you  (after  your 
dear  mother)  are  the  principal  obstacle  to  our  wishes.  So 
I  trust  to  you,  Marguerite,  for  help.  By  urging  Mile. 
Valmy  to  listen  to  my  uncle  Leo,  you  will  do  much  to 
give  happiness  to  one  who  has  suffered  greatly.  He  offers 
her  his  name,  his  high  position,  his  large  fortune,  and  asks 
only  in  return  the  joy  which  she  alone  can  give  him,  for 
he  will  never  love  anyone  else." 

k'  It  is  M.  de  Yeilles  who  wants  to  marry  Mademoiselle  ! " 
I  cried  in  astonishment;  "I  had  never  thought  of  it!" 

"Do. you  not  think  he  is  worthy  of  such  a  wife?" 

"  Oh  yes,  Madame  ;  we  all  like  him  so  much." 

"All?  Marguerite,  then  perhaps  Mile.  Yalmy  will  still 
accept  him." 


MAKGUEEITE   AT   BOURBON.  317 

"  I  hope  not,  Madame." 

"O  Marguerite  !    think  of  my  poor  uncle  !  " 

"  But,  Madame,  she  has  already  refused  him." 

"  She  has  refused  him,  I  feel  sure,  Marguerite,  on  ac 
count  of  her  devotion  to  you,  to  whom  she  would  sacrifice 
everything.  I  am  almost  certain  that  she  appreciates  my 
uncle,  and — " 

"  But,  Mme.,  I  am  sure  that  Mile,  does  not  think  of 
marrying.  She  is  too  old." 

"  Too  old !  Are  you  crazy,  Marguerite  ?  Because  she  has 
been  a  mother  to  you  for  so  long,  you  think  Mile.  Valmy 
old  at  twenty-eight,  but  no  one  else  would  agree  with  you. 
My  uncle  is  thirty-six,  so  their  ages  are  well  suited." 

"But,  Madame,"  I  cried  in  despair,  "  I  cannot  meddle 
with  it.  Ask  Mademoiselle  to  say  yes  or  no,  and  we  will 
submit," 

"  I  tell  you,  Marguerite,  she  has  said  no  again  and'again, 
saying  that  nothing  would  induce  her  to  leave  you." 

"•  You  see  then  !  "  I  cried,  with  tears  in  my  eyes. 

"  I  see,  Marguerite,  how  fond  she  is  of  you,  and  also  that 
she  knows  how  much  you  love  her,  and  she  would 
give  up  everything  for  you.  I  want  you,  Marguerite,  to 
find  out  whether  Mile.  Valmy  has  affection  for  my  uncle, 
and  if  it  is  so,  I  beg  you  to  induce  her  to  marry  him.  I 
am  sure  that  if  she  sees  you  brave  and  resigned  to  losing 
her,  she  will  then  be  willing  to  listen  to  her  own  heart." 
How  hard  it  was  in  her  to  ask  such  a  thing  of  me. 

She  talked  to  me  for  a  long  time,  telling  me  how  soon  I 
should  be  able  to  take  Mademoiselle's  place  with  mamma, 
and  how  happy  it  aught  to  make  me  to  do  all  in  my  power 
to  console  her  for  the  separation.  I  am  sure  I  never  can 
console  her.  But  at  last  I  consented  to  fulfil  my  mission, 
as  Mme.  Louis  called  it.  She  kissed  and  thanked  me,  say- 


318  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

ing  that  her  uncle  and  family  would  always  bless  me  for 
what  I  had  done ;  but  all  the  same,  I  think  she  was  very 
cruel  to  ask  it  of  me  ! 

And  now  I  cannot  think  of  anything  but  my  dear 
Mademoiselle,  and  I  wonder  how  it  could  be  that  Marie's 
death  should  have  made  me  less  tender  towards  her.  I 
shall  have  to  speak  to  her  on  this  painful  matter,  but  I 
must  wait  Until  I  am  a  little  used  to  the  idea,  so  that  I  shall 
not  begin  to  sob  and  cry  in  the  midst  of  my  talk. 

Oh,  what  shall  I  do  without  my  dear  Mademoiselle,  who 
has  been  both  friend  and  mother  to  me  for  so  long! 
And  then  what  will  become  of  my  education  ?  It  is  all 
very  well  for  Mme.  Louis  to  say  that  I  am  very  far  ad 
vanced  in  my  studies,  and  that  no  doubt  I  shall  find  plenty 
of  masters  in  Pondicherry.  I  am  sure  I  know  very  little 
of  what  1  ought  to  know,  and  no  one  will  ever  teach  me 
like  Mademoiselle. 

When  I  looked  at  her  yesterday  and  saw  her  so  sweet, 
even  in  the  midst  of  her  sorrow,  always  thinking  of  others, 
I  felt  how  happy  she  could  make  M.  de  Yeilles.  When  she 
took  Stephanie  and  Berthe  on  her  lap,  and  talked  to  them 
firmly,  but  gently,  I  said  to  myself : 

"  Ah,  how  well  she  would  bring  up  her  children !  What 
a  mother  they  would  have  !  After  mamma,  there  is  no  one 
like  her!"  I  had  to  run  away  and  cry,  feeling  somehow 
jealous  of  these  children.  I  am  so  much  puzzled  about 
introducing  the  subject  to  Mademoiselle,  so  as  not  to  show 
her  my  sorrow  until  she  has  really  said  "  yes  "  to  M.  Leo. 
But  I  shall  pray  to  God  to  give  me  strength  for  this,  as  for 
all  my  other  trials. 

Monday,  October  3d. 

I  prayed  so  earnestly  at  Mass,  yesterday  morning,  for 
courage  to  undertake  my  great  interview  with  Mademoi- 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  319 

selle,  that  I  grew  brave  at  last.  Ah,  God  never  forsakes 
us,  even  when  He  tries  us ! 

I  shall  not  write  all  I  thought  and  felt  before  the  time 
comes,  for  I  should  fill  pages  of  my  Journal.  At  break 
fast  I  was  so  troubled  and  uneasy  that  both  mamma  and 
Mademoiselle  noticed  it.  At  last,  just  as  I  had  made 
up  my  mind  after  breakfast  to  go  into  Mademoiselle's 
room,  I  met  mamma  at  the  door,  and  when  she  said, 
"  Are  you  coming  in,  Marguerite  ?  "  I  said  "  No,"  and 
ran  away.  Afterwards,  when  I  thought  mamma  was  safe 
in  her  room  with  Stephanie  and  Berthe,  I  was  watching 
for  a  chance  to  go  in,  when  out  popped  Mile.  Berthe,  cry 
ing  : 

"  What  are  you  about,  Maguitte,  prowling  around 
Mademoiselle's  room  all  the  morning  ?  " 

"I  am  not  prowling.  I  am  waiting  for  you  to  go 
away." 

"  Well,  that  is  polite.  Cannot  I  go  to  Mademoiselle  at 
the  same  time  as  you?"  and  she  opened  the  door,  crying: 
"  Look,  Mademoiselle,  Marguerite  is  afraid  to  come  in." 
Mademoiselle  came  towards  the  door,  saying  a  little  sadly : 

"  How  long  is  it  since  my  little'  Marguerite  was  afraid 
of  me  ?  "  I  felt  as  if  I  must  fling  myself  into  her  arms, 
but  I  thought  I  ought  -not  to  begin  by  showing  her  my 
affection. 

Presently  Berthe  ran  away,  and  Mademoiselle  said : 

"  It  is  a  long  time  since  you  have  paid  me  a  visit,  Mar 
guerite.  But  you  have  had  something  on  your  mind  since 
yesterday,  my  child ;  will  you  not  tell  rue  about  it? " 

"  O  Mademoiselle !  it  is  sorrow." 

"  Yes,  my  child,  I  know  that  only  too  well,  and  I  feel  it 
all  the  more  that  you  will  not  let  me  try  to  comfort  you." 

"  What  do  you  mean.  Mademoiselle  ? " 


320  MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON. 

"  You  almost  turn  away  from  me,  Marguerite.  It  seems 
as  if  you  bad  tried  to  avoid  your  mother  and  me  ever 
since  the  cruel  moment  when  you  lost  Marie.  You  have 
shut  up  your  heart  from  us,  Marguerite,  which  is  not 
natural  to  you,  and  this  makes  you  suffer  still  more." 

"  But,  Mademoiselle,  ought  I  not  to  try  and  be  re 
signed  ? " 

u  Certainly,  my  child,  and  I  should  never  advise  the  con 
trary  ;  but  religion  does  not  deny  us  the  comfort  of  the 
loving  hearts  which  God  has  given  us — and  where  will 
you  find  more  tenderness  than  with  your  two  mothers  ?  " 

"  O  Mademoiselle !  you  are  too  young  to  be  my 
mother." 

"  And  what  gave  you  that  idea,  Marguerite.  Have  I  not 
always  treated  you  like  a  mother  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  and  that  is  why  I  never  thought  of  your  being 
young,  but  now — " 

"  Well,  what  is  the  change,  for  I  am  growing  older  every 
day,"  said  Mademoiselle,  smiling. 

"  Because  I  think — that  is,  others  think,  at  least  some 
people — that  you  might  still  like  to  marry." 

I  was  so  glad  I  had  said  the  word  at  last.  I  did  not  dare 
look  at  Mile.,  but  I  felt  I  grew  very  red.  She  said  : 

"  I  marry  !  What  made  you  think  of  such  a  thing,  Mar 
guerite  ? " 

"  It  is  strange,  is  it  not  ?  "  I  cried  joyfully.  "But  no,  I 
mean — " 

"Well?" 

"  It  is  very  hard  to  talk  about  it,  Mademoiselle;  but  I 
want  to  tell  you  that  it  is  very  good  and  generous  of  you 
not  to  want  to  leave  us,  but  indeed  you  must  not  let  us 
prevent  you  from  marrying." 

"  And  what  makes  you  think  that  you  prevent  me  ?  " 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  321 

"But,  Mademoiselle,"  I  cried,  "have  you  never  refused 
any  one  ? " 

"  Dear  child,"  said  she  kindly,  "  your  interest  touches  me 
very  much ;  but  what  does  all  this  mean  ?  I  do  not  under 
stand." 

'*  O  Mademoiselle  !  "  I  cried,  "  do  not  think  I  am  med 
dling  ;  it  is  not  my  fault,"  and  the  tears  were  in  my  eyes. 

Mademoiselle  put  her  arm  around  me,  and,  drawing 
me  to  her,  said  : 

"  My  child,  is  this  your  own  idea  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  see  it  is  not  then  ? "  I  cried.  "  So  much  the 
better  1  can  tell  you  then  that  some  one  has  charged  me  to 
ask  you." 

"  For  what  ?  " 

"  For  yourself.  They  ask  you  in  marriage,  Mademoi 
selle." 

"  This  is  rather  a  strange  way  to  ask  !     Who  asks  it  ?  " 

"  Mme.  Louis  Yintimil ;  that  is,  she  asks  you  for  hex 
uncle  Leo." 

"  And  she  gives  you  this  message  ?  She  has  chosen  a 
good  messenger,  my  poor  child." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  Mademoiselle,  for  I  am  going  to  ask  you 
to  accept  him.  Mine.  Louis  says  he  will  never  be  happy 
without  you,  and  that  you  will  be  sure  to  be  happy  with 
him,  so  I  ought  to  want  yon  to  marry  him." 

"  Yet,  Marguerite,  it  would  separate  us ;  have  you  thought 
of  that?" 

"•  Oh,  you  must  not  think  of  me  at  all." 

"  On  the  contrary,  my  child,  I  want  to  know  first  how 
you  feel  about  it." 

"  What  if  I  do  suffer !  Mamma  will  be  even  more  un 
happy." 

"  I  know  what  Elisa  would  say.  I  am  thinking  of  you 
14* 


322  MARGUERITE  AT  BOUEBON. 

now.  A  month  ago  I  should  not  have  needed  to  ask  if  it 
would  grieve  my  little  Marguerite  to  lose  me.  But  since 
her  great  loss  has  so. overwhelmed  her  that  nothing  else 
seems  valuable  to  her,  I  even  doubt  if  she  could  grieve 
for  me  now." 

"  O  Mademoiselle !  would  this  make  you  accept  ? " 
"  It  would  be  one  less  reason  for  refusing." 
"  Then,  Mademoiselle,  you  had  better  believe  it.    But  I 
love  you  all  the  same ;  but  then  M.  de  Yeilles  loves  you, 
and  he  is  so  good.     He  is  rich  too,  and  you  could  rest,  and 
do  so  much  good  to  the  poor.     Then  you  would  have  your 
own  children,  who  would  love  you  so  dearly."     But  I 
choked  and  could  not  continue.     Mademoiselle  replied  : 

"  You  plead  well  for  M.  de  Yeilles,  Marguerite,  and 
seem  very  much  interested  in  his  happiness." 

"  And  in  yours  too,  Mademoiselle.  Do  you  not  like  M. 
de  Yeilles  ? " 

"  He  is  very  good,  very  kind  and  generous." 
"  But  is  he  not  a  little  too  old  for  you  ?     He  is  more 
than  thirty-six  years  old." 

"  That  is  not  exactly  old  age,"  said  Mile.,  smiling.  "  But 
enough  of  this.  Since  you  are  so  brave,  Marguerite,  I  can 
tell  you  my  decision  at  once." 

"  Oh  no,  Mademoiselle ;  that  is,  I  promised — " 
"  Well,  my  child,  I  persist  in  my  refusal." 
I  forgot  Mine.  Louis,  and  wanted  to  throw  my  arms 
around  her,  then  I  remembered  M.  de  Yeilles,  and  cried : 
"  Do  not  say  so,  Mademoiselle.    Think  how  unhappy  M. 
de  Yeilles  will  be.     You  are  too  good  to  want  to  make 
any  one  so  unhappy."  ' 

"  Marguerite,  your  mother  would  be  unhappy  too,  and  I 
cannot  give  her  up  for  any  one.  However  much  I  may 
desire  M.  de  Yeilles'  happiness,  I  cannot  sacrifice  to  him 


MAKGUEKITE  AT  BOITKBON.  323 

the  affections  of  all  my  life.  But,  Marguerite,  tell  me  now 
at  once,  simply  and  truly,  as  in  the  presence  of  God, 
who  hears  all  we  say,  do  you  feel  no  regret,  or  are  you 
hiding  it  from  me  ? "  I  laid  my  head  on  Mademoiselle's 
shoulder,  crying : 

•  "  Oh,  why  do  you  ask  me  that  ?  "  and  then  began  to  sob 
as  if  my  heart  would  break. 

Mademoiselle  kissed  and  soothed  me,  and  said  at  last : 

"  Now,  Marguerite,  let  us  understand  each  other.  I  have 
the  greatest  respect  and  admiration  for  M.  de  Veilles,  and 
can  imagine  that  his  wife  might  well  be  happy,  but,  my 
dear  child,  I  love  you  arid  your  mother  as  I  shall  never. 
love  any  one  else.  For  the  present  I  have  all  I  desire, 
and  for  the  future  my  trust  is  in  Him  who  is  sufficient  for 
all." 

"  O  Mademoiselle,  I  am  so  happy !  But  Mme.  Louis 
will  not  think  I  have  urged  you  as  I  ought." 

"  I  shall  write  to  her,  Marguerite,  and  tell  her  you  were 
a  faithful  messenger;  but  I  can  only  repeat  my  refusal,  al 
though  I  hope  most  earnestly  that  M.  de  Yeilles  may  for 
get  me,  and  be  happy  without  me." 

"  He  will  never  forget  you,  Mademoiselle,  I  am  sure,  ana 
I  am  very  sorry  for  him.  But  for  myself — O  Mademoi 
selle,  I  never  believed  I  could  feel  so  happy  again  with 
out  Marie ! " 

Mademoiselle  pressed  me  in  her  arms,  saying  tender- 

iy: 

"  Let  me  try  to  console  you,-  Marguerite,  for  what  you 
have  lost,  and  now  since  you  do  not  think  me  so  old,  treat 
me  henceforth  not  only  as  a  mother,  but  &  friend.  I  will 
set  you  the  example,  and  for  the  future  we  will  drop  all 
formality,  and  you  shall  call  me  Caroline  instead  of 
Mademoiselle" 


324  MAKGUEKITE   AT   BOURBON. 

"  Oh,  you  are  too  good,  too  good!"  I  cried,  while  I 
covered  her  with  kisses,  saying  softly  to  myself  all  the 
time,  "  Caroline,  Caroline,"  for  I  could  hardly  believe  it. 

So  God  has  changed  all  my  fears  into  happiness.  How 
grateful  I  ought  to  feel !  Mademoiselle  has  forbidden  me 
to  speak  to  mamma  at  present  about  M.  de  Yeilles,  and  so 
she  is  only  pleased  to  see  how  affectionate  I  am  once  more 
with  Mademoiselle,  my  friend. 

Thursday,  October  Qth. 

At  last  I  have  been  able  to  go  to  the  grave  of  my  dear 
Marie,  as  I  have  wished  so  long  to  do.  But  it  makes  me 
sad  to  think  how  long  it  must  be  before  I  can  be  there  again. 
As  we  return  to  France  we  shall  stop  at  Bourbon  to  take 
the  coffin  of  our  dear  baby,  and  then  I  shall  be  able  to  pray 
once  more  beside  Marie's  tomb.  While  we  are  in  Pondi- 
cherry  Mine.  Vintimil  and  M.  de  Yeilles  have  promised  to 
care  for  the  little  tomb,  where  for  the  present  we  must  leave 
our  darling  baby.  Caroline  and  I  decided  quite  suddenly  on 
Tuesday  to  make  our  sad  journey  to  Sainte  Suzanne.  The 
time  for  our  leaving  Bourbon  was  fixed  for  the  15th,  and 
we  felt  that  during  the  last  days  of  our  stay  we  should  be 
too  hurried  to  make  such  a  visit  with  satisfaction.  Mamma 
did  not  go  with  us,  for  she  felt  that  she  must  reserve  all 
her  strength  for  her  last  visit  to  her  little  one. 

How  sad  a  drive  it  was !  My  mind  and  heart  were  full 
of  thoughts  of  Marie  !  It  was  six  months  before  that  Made 
moiselle  and  I  had  driven  over  that  same  road  with  beating 
hearts,  as  we  hastened  to  Marie  after  her  accident.  Now 
we  were  going  to  Marie  again,  but  how  differently !  I  felt 
as  if  it  must  all  be  a  terrible  dream ;  but  as  I  said  so  to 
Mademoiselle,  she  replied  sadly : 

"  Ah,  Marguerite,  these  are  dreams  from  which  we  never 
awake." 


MAKGTJEKITE   AT   BOURBON.  325 

"When  we  reached  the  cemetery  we  left  the  carriage  at 
the  gate,  and,  guided  by  a  poor  old  negro,  walked  through 
the  centre  walk  which  runs  from  the  gate  to  the  sea.  The 
cemetery  seems  very  much  neglected,  many  of  the  crosses 
were  overthrown,  and  the  grass  was  growing  over  them  and 
over  the  paths. 

I  trust  that  Marie's  cross  will  always  stand  erect,  for  how 
dearly  she  loved  it !  She  asked  to  have  a  cross  alone  placed 
over  her  grave,  with  the  simple  words  "  Spes  Unica"  carved 
upon  it.  Often,  in  reading  the  beautiful  hymn  of  the 
Passion,  Marie  has  said  to  me : 

"  Oh,  how  I  love  those  words !  The  cross  is  indeed  our 
only  hope  /" 

Marie's  grave  is  quite  at  the  end  of  the  walk,  for  she  lies 
between  her  mother  and  father,  and  M.  de  Laval  had  asked 
to  be  buried  near  to  the  sea,  which,  as  a  sailor,  he  had  loved 
so  dearly.  The  waves  come  rolling  up  almost  to  their 
feet ;  and  the  beautiful  ocean,  stretched  out  before  us  in  all 
its  grandeur,  as  we  knelt  beside  Marie  and  remembered  how 
she  had  always  loved  and  admired  it,  how  quiet  and  calm 
it*  was !  There  were  no  sounds  but  the  rustling  of  the  leaves 
and  the  soft  wash  of  the  water  on  the  beach.  One  felt  as 
if  they  could  stay  forever,  and  I  said  to  myself,  "  If  it 
were  not  for  dear  mamma,  I  would  pray  to  be  laid  beside 
Marie."  It  was  very  hard  to  tear  myself  away,  but  I  begged 
Mademoiselle  to  let  me  stop  the  next  day  at  the  cemetery 
on  her  return  to  Saint  Denis ;  and  when  she  consented,  I 
felt  I  was  not  really  saying  good-by. 

We  went  from  Sainte  Suzanne  to  see  Mme.  Dumont, 
where  we  spent  the  rest  of  the  day.  The  next  morning  she 
kindly  sent  us  to  Champ-Borne,  as  we  wanted  to  say  adieu 
to  M.  and  Mme.  de  la  Gaze.  It  was  very,  very  sad  to  me  at 
Badamier — everything  reminded  me  so  constantly  of  clear 


326  MARGUERITE    AT    BOURBON. 

Marie.  M.  and  Mme.  de  la  Caze  welcomed  us  most 
kindly,  and  M.  Adrien  said  to  me,  with  tears  in  his  eyes : 
"  We  seem  to  have  our  dear  Marie  very  near  us  when  we 
see  you,  Marguerite."  Poor  Jeanne  came  to  meet  us  with 
streaming  eyes.  How  much  she  has  lost  in  Marie,  mother 
and  sister  at  once !  She  will  go  to  school  as  soon  as  they 
think  her  strong  enough.  Marianne  is  now  at  Badamier, 
having  remained  at  home  until  Jeanne  could  go  back  with 
her.  Jeanne  has  a  very  child-like  nature,  and  will  soon  re- 
. cover  her  spirits  amongst  new  faces,  but  I  am  sure  she  will 
always  remember  Marie.  She  told  me,  with  sobs,  that  they 
had  just  had  a  letter  from  poor  Alberic  addressed  to  Marie. 

I  wanted  to  go  and  see  poor  Barabbe,  so  both  Mademoi 
selle  and  Jeanne  went  with  me.  How  strange  it  seemed, 
as  we  walked  through  the  plantation,  to  see  everything  so 
unchanged.  The  birds  sang  as  gayly,  the  stream  ran  as 
merrily  through  the  leaves  and  grass,  as  when  Marie  and  I 
had  made  our  visits  to  Barabbe,  and  now  how  different  it 
seemed  to  me!  I  could  not  keep  back  my  tears,  as  I 
pointed  out  to  Mademoiselle  the  different  places  where 
Marie  and  I  had  walked  and  talked  so  happily  together. 

Poor  old  Barabbe  seemed  very  sick,  and  I  do  not  think 
he  can  live  very  long.  At  first  he  did  not  seem  to  re 
member  me,  but  when  I  told  him  I  was  Marie's  sister,  he  re 
plied  :  "Oh,  I  know !  1  know !  "  Mademoiselle  talked  very 
kindly  to  him,  and  seemed  to  comfort  him  very  much.  I 
think  he  feels  that  his  troubles  and  sufferings  will  soon  be 
over. 

We  went  to  see  the  little  Marguerite  too,  who  is  now  six 
months  old,  and  growing  nicely.  M.  de  la  Caze  says  he 
will  remember  Marie's  wishes  for  the  child,  and  will  lib 
erate  her  and  her  mother  as  soon  as  he  can. 

In  parting,  M.  de  la  Caze  made  me  a  present,  which  is 


MARGUERITE   AT   BOURBON.  327 

more  precious  to  me  than  anything  I  possess.  lie  gave 
me  the  crucifix  which  consoled  my  dearest  Marie  in  her 
last  moments,  saying,  as  he  did  so : 

"  My  dear  little  Marguerite,  I  know  how  precious  this 
relic  will  be  to  you,  and  for  this  reason  we  give  it  up, 
although  it  is  sacred  to  us.  We  can  kneel  before  our  dear 
child's  grave,  as  you  kneel  before  this  cross.  Do  not  forget 
us  in  your  prayers."  I  could  hardly  thank  him,  for  my 
tears  and  sobs  choked  my  voice. 

M.  de  la  Gaze  has  promised  to  come  to  Saint  Denis  to 
accompany  us  on  board  the  "  Jean  Bart." 

On  our  return,  Caroline  and  I  stopped  again  at  the  ceme 
tery,  and  1  stood  again  beside  Marie's  grave.  But  when  I 
had  to  leave  it,  I  tried  to  be  brave,  and  took  some  of  the 
white  roses  which  grew  near  her,  feeling,  with  a  bitter 
pang,  that  these  flowers,  a  lock  of  hair,  and  the  cross  were 
all  that  was  left  me  of  Marie.  But  in  the  cross  1  shall 
find  my  consolation. 

Friday,  October  *Wi. 

To-day  I  am  twelve  years  old,  and  have  entered  my  thir 
teenth  year  !  Ah,  if  Marie  were  here,  what  a  happy  day  it 
would  be  !  But  I  communed  this  morning,  and  will  not 
indulge  in  complaints,  for  I  feel  so  much  nearer  Marie. 

I  do  not  feel  like  a  child  now,  and  indeed  every  one  says 
I  seem  older  now,  that  I  am  so  grave  and  sad.  I  have  been 
reading  over  my  Journal  during  the  last  few  days,  and  how 
strange  these  first  pages  seem !  How  many  things  there 
are  to  remind  me  of  my  dear  Marie,  our  first  meeting  at 
catechism,  our  long  talks,  her  grandfather's  death,  our 
voyage  together,  our  happiness  here -in  Bourbon.  How 
glad  I  am  that  I  have  written  my  Journal  so  faithfully ;  it 
is  so  full  of  memories  of  Marie. 

I  had  a  long  conversation  yesterday  with  Mademoiselle — 


328  MAEGTJEKITE   AT   BOUKBOST. 

no,  Caroline — in  preparation  for  the  communion,  and  my 
heart  is  full  now, of  the  good  resolutions  for  the  future, 
which  her  words  gave  me.  I  will  strive  to  be  more  un 
selfish,  more  thoughf ul  for  the  happiness  of  others,  less  oc 
cupied  with  myself.  I  will  not  ask  God  to  let  me  die  and  be 
with  Marie,  but  I  will  pray  to  Him  to  help  me  to  live  and 
be  a  comfort  to  those  I  love.  First  of  all,  I  shall  try  to  be 
a  friend  and  companion  to  my  dear  mamma,  although  she 
has  not  lost  her  Caroline.  Then  I  shall  struggle  to  be 
patient  and  forbearing  with  my  little  sisters,  and  teach 
them  to  come  to  me  for  advice  and  help.  Some  day,  I 
trust,  I  shall  be  with  Gustave  again,  and  can  then  show  him 
what  a  sister  ought  to  be.  May  God,  who  has  been  so  mer 
ciful  to  me  in  the  years  past,  bless  me  in  the  future,  and 
guide  me  always  till  the  end. 


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CHARLES  DICKENS'  WORKS. 


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IO. — LITTLE  DORRIT. 
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14. — SKETCHES  BY  1/OZ  AND  HARD  TIMES. 
15. — CHILD'S  ENGLAND  AND  MISCELLANEOUS. 

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—          «  - 

I.  —  The  Art  of  Conversation, 

With  Direction*  for  Self-Cnlture.  An  admirably  conceived  and  entertalnlBf 
work  —  Hennible,  Instructive,  and  fell  of  puggestionii  valuable  to  every  one  who 
desires  to  be  either  a  good  taJter  or  listener,  or  who  wishes  to  appear  to  adnut 
tmgt  In  good  society.  Every  young  and  even  old  person  should  read  it,  study  It 
orer  and  over  again,  and  follow  those  hints  in  it  which  lead  them  to  break  OF 
tad  habits  and  cultivate  good  ones.  %*  Price  $1.50.  Among  the  contents  wtfl 
b*  found  chapters  upon— 

irnxxTioir  n»  CO'NVEBSATION.—  SAT- 

HUB.  —  PUNS.-  -SARCASM.  —  TEASING.  — 
OENHITKE.  -  -FAULT-FINDING.—  EGOT 
ISM.  —  POLITENESS—  COMPLIMENTS.  — 
ftTORIES.-ANECDOTES.  -QUESTIONING. 


-LlBKBTTKB  —IMPUDENCE.—  STARING. 
-DlBAOBEEABLB      SUBJECTS.  —  SEL- 


FISHNE88. — ARGUMENT.— SACRIFICM. 
— SILENT  PEOPLE. — DINNKB  COM- 
VEBSATION.— TIMIDITY.— ITS  CUBE.— 
MODESTY. — CORKECI  LANGUAGE. — 
SELF-INSTBUCTION.— MISCELLANEOUS 
KNOWLEDGE.  — LANGUAGES. 


II.— The  Habit§  of  Good  Society. 

A  Hanabook  for  Ladies  and  Gcntlenen.  With  thoughts,  hints,  and  anecdotes 
concerning  social  observances,  nice  points  of  taste  and  good  manners,  »nd  the 
art  at  m*H"g  oneself  agreeable.  The  whole  interspersed  with  humorous  illus 
tration*  of  social  predicaments,  remarks  on  fashion,  nto.  %*  Price  fl.50. 
Among  tb«  con  tents  will  be  found  chapters  upon — 


QENTLEMBN'S  PREFACE. 

LADIES'  PREFACE.— FASHIONS. 

THOUSHTS  ON  SOCIETY. 

Goon  SOCIETY. — BAD  SOCIETY. 

TH*  DRESSING-ROOM. 

THE  LADIES'  TOILET.— DBKSB. 

FEMININE  ACCOMPLISHMENTS. 

MANNKRSAND  HABITS. 

PUBLIC  AND  PRIVATE  ETIQUETTE. 

MARRIED  AND  UNMARRIED  LAD  IKS. 

Do  DO    GENTLEMEN. 

OAUJNG  ETIQUETTE. — CARDS. 
VISITING  ETIQUETTE.— DINNERS. 
DINNKB  PARTIES. 


LADIES  AT  DINNEB. 
DINNKB  HABITS. — CARVING. 
MANNERS  AT  SUPPBB. — BALL*. 
MORNING  PARTIES.-  -PICNICS. 
EVENING  PARTIES. — DANCES. 
PRIVATE  THEATRICALS. 
RECKPTIONS.  — ENG  AGEMENTS^ 
MARRIAGE  CEREMONIKS. 
INVITATK»NH. — DRESSES. 
BRIDKSMAIDS. — PRESENTS. 
TRAVELLING  ETIQUETTE. 
PUBLIC  PROMENADE. 
COUNTRY  VISITS. — CITY  Visits. 


III.— Arts  of  Writing,  Reading,  and  Speaking;. 

An  exceedingly  fascinating  work  for  teaching  not  only  the  beginner,  but  foi 
perfecting  every  one  in  these  three  most  dewirable  accomplishments.  For  youth 
this  book  is  both  interesting  and  valuable  ;  and  for  adults,  whether  professionally 
or  socially,  It  is  a  book  that  they  cannot  dispense  with.  %*  Price  $1.60.  Among 
the  contents  will  be  found  chapters  upon — 


READING  &  THINKING. — LANGUAGE.— 
WORDS,  SENTENCES.  &  CONSTRUCTION. 
WHAT  TO  AV<«D.  —LETTER  WRITING. — 
PRONUNCIATION. — EXPRESSION. — TONE 
RELIGIOUS  HEADINGS.— THE  BIBLE.— 
PRAYERS  -DRAMATIC  READINGS.— THE 
i.TOH  &  READER. — FOUNDATIONS  FOR 

OfcATOBY     AND    SPEAKING. — WHAT    TO 


RAY.— WHAT  NOT  TO  SAY. — How  TO 
BEGIN.-  CAUTIONH.-DELIVKRY.  -WRIT- 
INB  A  SPEECH. — FIRST  LESSONS. — PUB 
LIC  SPEAKING.— DELIVERY.-  ACTION. 
ORATORY  OF  THE  PULPIT.— COMPOSI 
TION. — THE  BAR. — READING  OF  WIT  & 
HUMOR.— TH<S  PLATFORM.— CONSTRUC 
TION  OF  A  SPEECH. 
vwrkt  are  the  most  perfect  of  their  Kind  ever  published ;  fresh.,  sensible 

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JfS~  A  beautiful  new  minature  edition  of  the^e  -very  popular  bo«V«>  has  junt 

been  published,  entitled  "THK   DIAMOND  EDITION,"  three  little  volumes,   e'.o 

pint)  y  printed  OB  tinted  paper,  and  handsomely  bound  in  a  box.     Price  $8.00. 
*,*  Then  books  ar«  all  sent  by  mail,  postage  free,  on  receipt  of  price,  by 

3.  W.  CABLETON  St  CO.,  Publishers,  Madison  Square,  New  York. 


MARY  J.  HOLMES'  WORKS. 


K.  —TEMPEST  AND  SUNSHINE. 
•,.  ENGLISH  ORPHANS. 
J.-HOMESTEAD  ON  HILLSIDE. 
*  --'LENA  RIVERS, 
j.     MEADOW  BROOK. 

6  -DORA  DEANE. 

7  -COUSIN  MAUDE. 


'  8.— MARIAN  GRAY. 
9.— DARKNESS  AND  DAYLIGHT 
io.— HUGH  WOR1 H INGTOM. 
ii.— CAMERON  PRIDE. 
12.— ROSE   MATHER. 
13.— ETHELYN'S   MISTAKE. 
14.— MILLI5ANK. 
15. -EDNA   BROWNING. 


OPINIONS    OF   THE    PRESS. 

"Mrs.  Holmes'  stories  are  universally  read.  Her  admirers  are  numberless. 
She  is  in  many  respects  without  a  rival  in  the  world  of  nction.  Her  characters 
are  always  life-like,  and  she  makes  them  talk  and  act  like  human  beings,  subject 
to  the  same  emotions,  swayed  by  the  same  passions,  and  actuated  by  the  same 
n.otnes  which  are  common  among  men  and  womta  of  every  day  existence.  Mrs, 
r.olmss  is  very  happy  it  portraying  domestic  life.  Old  and  young  peruse  her 
stories  with  great  delight,  for  she  writes  ia  a  style  that  all  can  comprehend."— 
New  Ytrk  Wetikly. 

•'Mrs.  Holmes'  stories  are  all  of  a  domestic  character,  and  their  interest, 
therefore,  is  not  so  intense  as  if  they  were  more  highly  seasoned  with  sensational 
ism,  but  it  is  of  a  healthy  and  abiding  character.  Almost  any  new  book  which  her 
publisher  might  choose  to  announce  from  her  pen  would  get  an  immediate  and 
general  reading.  The  interest  in  her  tales  begins  at  once,  and  is  maintained  tu 
the  close.  Her  sentiments  are  so  sound,  her  sympathies  so  warm  and  ready, 
and  her  knowledge  of  manners,  character,  and  the  varied  incidents  of  ordinary 
life  is  so  thorough,  that  she  would  find  it  difficult  to  write  any  other  than  an 
excellent  tale  if  she  were  to  try  it" — Boston  Banner, 

"  Mrs.  Holmes  i«  very  amusing ;  has  a  quick  and  true  sense  of  humor,  a 
lytnpathetic  tone,  a  perception  of  character,  and  a  familiar,  attractive  style, 
pleasantly  adapted  to  the  comprehension  and  the  taste  of  that  large  clast  ».' 
American  readers  for  whom  fashionable  novels  and  ideal  fantasies  have  DO 
skann."—  Henry  T.  ruckerman. 


Th«   roluriei   are  all  handsomely  printed   and   bound   in   cloth,  -  «oW 
,  and  sent  by  mail,  fax  tage  free,  on  receipt  of  price  [$1.50  each],  by 


O.  W.  CARLETON  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

Madison  Square  ',  New  Yotk 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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